I need a (wo)man
by Tarra Hikari
Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how... Warning: You will hate some characters.
1. Chapter 1

**I need a (Wo)man**

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how….

* * *

 **Chapter One**

" I love you."

Every time Sakura said the words, she felt the dull pain of an invisible blade piercing through her chest. She had gotten used to the sensation of feeling as if there was something missing, and she had gotten accustomed to the hollow feeling that encompassed her every time she met his obsidian eyes.

She meant the words she said once, she used to mean it intensely, and would have done anything for him, but now, it just seemed like it was more work than she was willing to do.

"..."

Again, she was met with silence. She was hardly surprised. This happened every time. So why was she still with him, one might ask? It was just what was expected of her. She had always been his biggest supporter, and always believed in him when everyone else had remained doubtful. So entering a relationship with him had just been what everyone assumed was bound to happen. One of these years, she was expected to lay down and spread her legs for him, and subsequently pop out an Uchiha heir in nine months.

They had yet to be intimate though.

" Sasuke, I think," She paused, almost too afraid to proceed with her words. The Uchiha had moved slightly, she had seen his form shift, and despite not turning around, Sakura knew that he was willing to listen to what she had to say. " I think, I think we should spend some time apart."

There.  
She had said it.

Never in a million years did she ever think she was going to be the one suggesting an idea like this- the mad in love twelve year old in her screaming at her for doing this- but she could no longer ignore the harrowing distance between them. They lived in the same house, and they saw each other quite often outside of home as well, but the bedsheets between them never felt more cold.  
Sasuke never touched her, he never claimed to love her, and for so long, she had just taken it as he wasn't the type to be very vocal about his love for her. She didn't know what they were. They lived together and shared a bed together, yes, but the more time passed, the more it seemed like she was a convenient and caring roommate to him instead of someone with emotional significance. Did he love her? Sakura truly would never know. And, she couldn't do that anymore. She couldn't wait around hoping that one day he would acknowledge her as something besides his former classmate and teammate.

She wanted more.

She desired more.

She deserved more.

"...Do what you want, Sakura." He replied in a low tone before turning to leave.

His reaction broke her heart.

Here, she had poured her heart out in a few trembling words, and once again, she was met with his infamous indifference. Maybe it truly wasn't meant to be. Maybe this break apart was what she needed to recollect herself. Did she truly want to be with such an emotionless man like Sasuke? She had thought that he was the most magnificent man she had ever met, but instead of striking and powerful, he seemed more washed out to her than ever.

* * *

"..Do you feel that moving out of the compound is necessary?" Sasuke asked her, watching the woman he shared his home with pack up her belongings into cardboard boxes of varying sizes.

Sakura sucked in her breath. " Sasuke, I need a break from all of this."

" Where will you go?" He asked.

Sakura smiled thinly. " Ino and Tenten's third roommate moved out, so they suggested that I move in with them."

" Won't that be too crowded?" He continued.

Sakura laughed. " Sasuke, I'm a bit perturbed by all these questions. This is the most you've spoken to me all week."

Sasuke's face became tight. " I have a mission to get to. Good luck with your move, Sakura."

And once again, she was alone.

Sakura attempted to concentrate on the piece of clothing she had been folding, but after trying to fold it into a square four times, she tossed the shirt to the other side of the room and plopped down on the large bed that they shared.  
She knew she wasn't going to be lonely. In fact, living with the likes of Ino and Tenten put together probably wouldn't leave her much room for her to have some time alone. She had discussed the idea of moving out with the girls a few days ago, and they had all surprisingly supported her decision to find other means when it came to love.

" Sasuke is a self-obsessed narcissist," Ino had shouted loudly, the alcohol she had been drinking making her words come out a slow, yet steady drawl. " You should leave him!"

" Not to mention you guys haven't banged, like, what the actual fuck?!"Tenten joined her, her voice coming out a high squeak. " How long have you guys been living together?"

" Six months," Sakura mumbled under her breath.

" SIX MONTHS!" Ino shrieked, absolutely gobsmacked. " You're telling me that, all those times you were rushing off to head home, it wasn't to ride on his Uchiha pride, but it was to like, catch up on TV or something? Like seriously?"

Sakura blushed heavily, embarrassment and alcohol collaborating to create the furious blush on her cheeks. " You're too loud, Ino Pig!"

" Th-that is pretty unbelievable, Sakura-chan," Hinata chimed in, her cheeks tinged a rosy pink.

The fact that Hinata and Naruto, probably the most oblong pair out of all of them, had progressed farther than she and Sasuke ever had was unbelievable. Hell, the Hyuga heiress wasn't even betrothed to him yet and here they were, frolicking behind the rest of the clan like a bunch of teenagers-not that they had to, everyone in the village loved Naruto.

" Honestly...I was thinking of moving out," Sakura admitted slowly. " But where would I go? I can't move back in with my parents, there would be too many questions; I could move out alone, but I think I'd feel even more lonely than how I feel living with Sasuke, if that were even possible."

" You're thinking of moving out?" Hinata repeated. " I think you could move in with Ino and Tenten, you guys did mention about having to find a new roommate soon, right guys?"

The aforementioned two perked up at the idea. " Yeah, that sounds like a great idea! Hinata's right; our roommate is moving out in four days, you can take her room and move in with us. We're not your parents, and we're going to always be around each other, so no way you're going to be lonely."

Her friends were right. Living with the girls would be the perfect solution to her dilemma.

" Ok, let's do it," Sakura nodded. " I'm going to tell Sasuke tonight."

That hadn't gone out as planned, as Sasuke had seemingly left for a mission he had mentioned to her for three days, and even if he did stay, the heavy hangover she carried over with her into the next day and long shifts at the hospital coincided with telling him. So he ended up finding out literally the moment she commenced packing.

Needless to say, he didn't seem to care.

Sakura spread her arms across the mattress, her body touching the comfortable and cool egyptian cotton. She closed her eyes, even though she didn't want to admit it, she was sad to be leaving him; just a little. But it was necessary. She didn't even know if she wanted to continue this weird relationship they had with one another.

* * *

It was sunny here.

Sakura's eyes familiarized themselves with the terrain around her, and she recognized the bench she had sat on with Sasuke all those years ago, begging him not to leave, to reconsider and stay with her, to stay with all of them.

He had knocked her out, just as he did now.

The impact now though was hollow and dull and left an emotional scar instead of a temporary bruise on her skin that would eventually fade.

Instead of Sasuke however, a silhouette of a figure sat beside her crying younger form. She couldn't figure out who it was; the current Sasuke she knew, or possibly someone else.

" He's a stubborn one," An ominous yet distinctively male voice spoke. " Whenever he decides on something, he follows through on it, even if he has a moment of hesitation."

Sakura clenched her fist. " So why can't he follow through on loving me?"

She didn't expect this ominous voice to have the answer, but when she didn't hear a reply, she chuckled. Of course a voice in her dream wouldn't know. Her dream was a manifestation of her own thoughts, after all. She could only speak for herself and her actions, how could she know or even begin to understand Sasuke's confusing mind?

" Maybe he doesn't know what he wants yet," The reply came a few beats later, surprising Sakura. " He's been obsessed with the idea of surpassing his brother, his best friend, to becoming the best he could be. He doesn't know what love is."

" All of that's over now." Sakura reminded. " It's been four years since then, four years since his quest of redemption."

" Maybe he feels like he doesn't deserve you," The voice suggested. " Having a woman like yourself seems much too like a reward instead of a punishment."

" No one's out to punish him!" Sakura exclaimed, frustrated. " He just does this every time. Push everyone away, and he ends up hurting everyone besides himself." She paused, seeing the shadowy silhouette comforting her small figure on the bench and drying her tears. " Besides, if he thought that way, wouldn't his actions of leading me on be considered selfish? Making me live with him? Making me think I held some significance to him? He never held me, he never comforted me. He never kissed me."

" Love is something..Uchiha's are inexperienced with."

Sakura scoffed. " Yeah, you're telling me. I just wish there was an Uchiha out there that wasn't so romantically inept."

Her younger form was smiling now and she stood up along with the hazy gray silhouette, holding his hand, a look of complete adoration plastered on her face.

They walked together and she kept on smiling, until she was completely out of Sakura's peripheral.

" You'll be happy." The ominous voice assured her.

Sakura frowned a bit watching the familiar scene fade out. " I sure hope you're right."

* * *

Sakura could hear the light sounds of birds chirping, and she knew that dawn was fast approaching. It was still dark enough, and she groggily remembered that she hadn't completed packing last night and groaned at the thought of the amount of clothing she still had to pack. It wasn't much, but she had made it her goal to complete all of her packing yesterday, so that she could move out as soon as possible.

Sakura's eyes shot open suddenly.

She felt an unfamiliar presence in the room with her.

A different chakra. She shot up, her emerald orbs darting around her room.

Instead, she was met with familiar crimson eyes.

Only, these eyes didn't belong to Sasuke.

A tall and very handsome man stood before her, hair dark but not as dark as Sasuke's. He had aristocratic features, and he stared at Sakura with the same dead eyes as someone that possessed the sharingan.

" You must be my brother's girlfriend."

Sakura registered that he had spoken to her, and kicked herself inwardly for not having her guard up earlier, and not becoming aware of his presence until a few moments ago. Not to mention that she had fallen asleep in barely any clothing. Who knows how long he could have been staring down at her sleeping ( and hopefully not snoring) form.

The words he said infuriated her. Everyone thought they were a thing. They weren't!

" Oh. My mistake then. It's not everyday a woman is allowed sleeping on my brother's bed."

Shit. Had she said that aloud?

From the wry look on his face, it seemed that she had.

" I'm-" Sakura paused. What was she exactly to Sasuke. " I'm a former teammate of his."

" Right. I'm familiar with Naruto." He replied.

Sakura rolled her eyes.  
Who wasn't, nowadays?

" Wait, brother?" Sakura's eyes widened, retracing the earlier statement he had made. How the hell did she manage to gloss over that like that was an everyday thing? God was she out of it. " So you must be-"

" Itachi Uchiha," He finished for her. " And you must be Sakura Haruno."

Huh. That was a first. People took a while to get her name right or even recognize her.  
But wait. What the hell? Wasn't Sasuke's brother dead? The last time she checked, he had ended up being an ally to the village, and he never intended for Sasuke to turn out the way he was. But, Sakura had been certain that he died. Just what exactly was he doing here?

* * *

A/N: I'll address a few questions in this section, at the end of every chapter, in order to clear any confusion.

* Fic isn't Alternate Reality or Universe. Maybe in ending? I actually had written a completely different story with this summary, but felt that it didn't fit as well, so I decided to apply it in the shinobi world, and it seemed much better suited. AU stuck at the end of the summary and have edited it out.

** I know that Sasuke isn't technically a Cancer, but anyone who knows astrology knows that we have multiple signs, and you can carry the traits of other signs if you are born around the last/first day of said season. In this case, Sasuke is either a Leo or Cancer, depends on which zodiac you follow, and while he does act pretty pompously, he's way too emotional, and I felt that the description fit him better. 


	2. Chapter 2

**I need a (Wo)man**

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how….

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

Sakura stared at the man before her with mixed emotions.

She was uncertain on whether to fear his abrupt appearance or if she should throw a horde of questions at him. He had come here to obviously seek some answers, and since Sasuke wasn't here, it looked like she was going to have to be the one to deliver them. What she knew, anyways.

" Sasuke's not here," Sakura blurted out, clutching the bedsheets around her tightly.

She felt as if Itachi had witnessed her in the nude, which she wasn't completely, but knowing that someone had been watching you sleep left her a little weirded out.

" He's on a mission, he's going to return in two days," She continued, analyzing Itachi's expressionless face.

The empty expression on his face remained. " So it seems."

" I don't mean to pry but, well, what exactly are you doing here?" Sakura addressed the elephant in the room. " Last time I checked...you were dead?"

Itachi nodded. " Yes, I had thought that as well. I have not returned via jutsu, as my entire body has materialized with no alterations. I have not been given any orders, which makes me come to believe that I am in full possession of my body."

" What! That's crazy!" Sakura exclaimed. " So you're telling me that you came back from the dead? Without any crazy guy controlling you like a puppet?"

Itachi nodded. " That seems to be the case."

" Who else knows?" Sakura asked, the idea of Itachi returning to Konoha and somehow assimilating back into the village too great of an image for her to manifest.

" I have informed Lord Hokage of my presence, and while my reappearance has mystified us all, for now, she has issued my return to the Uchiha compound. Sasuke has been reinstated as a Konoha ninja, and until any further notice, I was to live with him once again." Itachi informed her.

Sakura was at a lost for words. " Th-that makes sense, I suppose."

" Are you packing?" Itachi asked her, the conversation shifting from his experience to hers.

" Y-yes, I was packing up but then it seems that I fell asleep in the midst of it," She replied sheepishly. " I'm sure Sasuke will be back soon, he probably received word of your return and is probably coming back early."

Itachi nodded. " Where are you heading off to?"

" I'm moving in with a couple of friends," Sakura supplied, still a little bewildered by the continued flow of the exchange.

" Do you need help packing?" Itachi asked.

Sakura swore that her eyes were probably bugging out from her head. Since when did an Uchiha, any Uchiha, offer anyone else a simple gesture of kindness? Something simple like packing? Becoming a hated martyr seemed to be more their style.

" N-no, that's fine. I've packed mostly everything, I just need to pack a couple of my last belongings. Shouldn't take longer than ten minutes to finish. Sorry for the clutter," She said in a hurry.

" No, I don't mind. Makes the place seem a little more lively." Itachi replied.

Huh? Lively? Since when did Uchihas care about sprucing up the place to not seem menacing?

The longer Itachi looked at her, the more uncomfortable Sakura became. What would Tsunade do? Sakura wondered.

Her teacher would probably dismiss him brusquely and tell him to get out. She still had eye crust on her face for god's sake. But despite becoming stronger than her teacher, Sakura was a bit wary at the thought of ordering the elder Uchiha sibling around. Even with Sasuke, you had to phrase things to make it seem like it was all his idea to get him to agree to do anything. Tch. Damn Uchihas and their pride.

Instead, Sakura had opted for the cowardly route.

" W-well, I should be getting ready." Sakura said hurriedly, removing herself from the bed, her feet landing on the floor clumsily. She grabbed a towel and made a mad dash for the bathroom attached to the room. She bowed before him. " I'll see you around, I guess!"

Itachi raised an eyebrow, both mystified and intrigued by the pinkette's behavior.

* * *

" So you're telling me, that Itachi Uchiha was staring at you when you woke up?" Ino asked incredulously.

Sakura, Ino, and Tenten all were gathered around Sakura's spacious new room, several cardboard boxes spread out and about, a few opened and a few yet to be opened. The girls had taken a break from helping Sakura move into her new bedroom to have a quick snack break and gossip session, and boy, did Sakura have news.

Sakura nodded curtly, somewhat still self-conscious. Sasuke had been the only person to see her so completely unguarded. She furrowed her brow, upset that she had become comfortable in the Uchiha residence.

" Oh my god, how embarrassing," Ino squealed. " He probably saw the drool you always leave on the pillow."

Sakura's eyes widened. Shit, she hadn't thought of that. " Ahh!" Sakura shrieked, covering her face with her hands. " That is so goddamn embarrassing! I don't even know how long he was standing there watching me."

" You know, that's kinda creepy," Tenten chimed in. " But not as bad as it could have been. Uchihas are fucking hot."

" That makes it even worse!" Sakura exclaimed. " the fact that he saw me like that!"

" I imagine that the brothers will soon be reunited," Tenten continued, sipping her mango drink. " Damn, two Uchiha men running the women of the village wild."

" As if," Sakura commented sourly. " They seem to not be interested in women. Or at least, Sasuke wasn't."

" Itachi's another story though. Maybe they have the whole, evil savior thing going on, but I bet you a hundred bucks that Itachi isn't as cold-hearted." Ino added. " Besides, he did offer you help to pack up."

" Yeah right!" Tenten chortled. " Don't tell me you haven't heard the rumours of how fast he was, Ino. I heard that he could charm the panties off a woman in less than half a day."

" That would have been so awkward," Sakura groaned. " Imagine if Sasuke hadn't left for his mission and he had walked in on Itachi and me packing my bras and panties together."

" Maybe that would have made the emotionless bastard jealous," Ino snickered. " You know, seeing his brother making a move on his lady like that."

" I'm not his lady!" Sakura shouted hotly.

Tenten and Ino both laughed at her expense, making Sakura feel increasingly small.

" Ugh you two are so annoying!" She shouted frustratedly, tossing her pillows at the both of them.

Her two friends squealed with laughter, but they all paused at the sound of the doorbell.

" Who could that be?" Tenten wondered aloud.

" Did you order anything?" Sakura looked at her two new roommates, searching for a response.

Ino shook her head. " I don't think so."

" Maybe it's some bratty kids playing ding dong ditch," Sakura suggested. " Unless any of you guys are expecting guests."

Ino and Tenten simultaneously shook their heads.

" Go answer it Sak,"Ino shoved Sakura off the bed.

" Why do I have to?" Sakura whined. " I only just became a part of this household today!"

" Even more reason for you to answer the door," Tenten countered.

Sakura shot her roommates a scornful look and then sighed when she heard the clear ring of the doorbell, reminding them all that they had a visitor.

" I'm coming, I'm coming," Sakura said as she made her way down the hall.

She opened the door, not knowing what to expect.

Maybe a delivery? Maybe a nosy neighbor who had heard the commotion of her moving in and decided to drop by and give her a housewarming present? People still do that nowadays, right?  
Whatever she had thought, it turned out to be the last person she expected at the door.

" Itachi?"

The elder Uchiha stared down at her with his piercing obsidian eyes. His lips were formed in a straight line, and Sakura thought he looked displeased. Or at least uncomfortable. What other expression could Itachi Uchiha have made standing at her front door?

" You left a few items at the compound. I believe they are yours." He lifted up a plastic bag.

" Oh!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise.

What a smooth exit. Honestly, she was a mess. Itachi probably thought she was the most careless and inept person in the world. No wonder his brother didn't want to define anything with her. How could she call herself a respectable kunoichi if she couldn't even organize her belongings.

" What was it?" She asked curiously.

Itachi remained silent and the moment soon became awkward.

Sakura peered inside the bag and she blushed furiously once she realized what the contents were. She recognized her cherry red bra and panty set tucked away amongst other things, like towels and a toothbrush.

She had been certain that she had packed away her intimate belongings first.

Ahh.

Realization soon dawned on her and she recalled that she had worn that set under her clothing yesterday, and she must have taken her bra and panties off last night before she fell into her slumber. Wearing tight underwear and a constricting bra made her uncomfortable, and she always made sure to take them off before she slept. Sometimes she did it when she was half-asleep, and that must have been exactly what she did for them to end up in the bag she was holding now.

No wonder Itachi looked mildly uncomfortable when she asked what it was.

" I'm sorry!" She bowed immediately.

" It was no trouble," He replied coolly. " I am a grown man Sakura."

That thought hadn't occurred to her. Of course. Itachi was freaking 27 years old. Maybe it was because everyone she knew had been so consumed with the thought of finding Sasuke all those years and training for the inevitable war. Now that there was a calm finally, her friends had began exploring each other, and nearly all of them had crossed the line. Even Hinata and Naruto. Except her and Sasuke. They had been the two most separated from the idea of physical connection and pleasure. Sakura knew Itachi, however, had no such qualms about women. Unlike Sasuke, he was notoriously known amongst the women of the village, and who knows how many other women he had met when he was a part of the Akatsuki. Of course he had to indulge.

" R-right!"

God. She felt like a little girl. She was 22 for god's sake. A 22 year old virgin.

" Is there anything else I can help you with, Itachi?" Sakura asked, noticing that he was still standing before her despite her already retrieving her items.

She stared at Itachi, searching for the answer. Itachi looked like he knew what he wanted to say, but it seemed that it was difficult for the words to come out.

" What are you doing tomorrow?"

" E-excuse me?" Sakura stuttered, not believing her ears.

Surely, the elder Uchiha wasn't asking her out right now, was he? Wow. That infinitely faster than Sasuke. Maybe the rumours of Itachi being aware about women were right.

" It seems that Sasuke is still tangled up with his mission. He will be returning home tomorrow. It's been four years since I've seen him. I was wondering if you could enlighten me on how he has been doing?"

Oh.

Of course.

Why else would he seek her out?

" Are you sure you want to ask me?" Sakura retorted. " I think Naruto would have a wealth of information about Sasuke."

" Yes he would," Itachi agreed. " When it comes to his skills and his quest for redemption. But when it comes to how he is on his day to day life, I think that you would hold more information than Naruto would. You did live with him for six months, after all."

That she did.

" Ok sure. I have a shift at the hospital tomorrow. But I finish at 7." Sakura agreed. " You can meet me there, if you want."

There was nothing wrong with meeting Itachi.

" Sounds good. I'll pick you up from there." He looked at her for confirmation.

" Sure," She nodded. " I'll see you then."

" See you tomorrow. Have a good night, Sakura." Itachi bid his farewell, and in an instant he was gone.

Sakura blinked.

What an odd predicament fate had put her in.

Sakura closed the door, only to be met with Ino and Tenten's shit-eating grins.

" Oh my fucking god bitch, you have a date with Itachi Uchiha!"

* * *

A/N: To clarify, this story does happen in the shinobi world, post-war. It does however, give a deeper look in the nature of Sasuke and Sakura's relationship, since their get together seemed a bit..lackluster. We never see what Sasuke thinks in terms of romance, and with this story I want to highlight that.


	3. Chapter 3

**I need a (Wo)man**

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how…

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

It wasn't a date.

It wasn't a date.

 **It wasn't a date.**

No matter how many times Sakura told herself that it wasn't a date, she couldn't help but allow the hopeless romantic inside of her to bloom and anticipate their meeting tonight. Itachi Uchiha was a very capable and very talented man, and word of his return had spread like wildfire throughout the village. Everyone was happy and the women were absolutely beaming at the prospect of another eligible man in Konohagakure.

Sakura could just picture it now; no doubt that by the end of the night a Itachi Uchiha fanclub would be formed. She even placed a bet on its creation with Kiba, who had stopped by the hospital for a look at his broken arm which had been in a cast for several weeks.

Kiba had been one of her acquaintances from her days at the academy, and over the years, he had developed into a nice and well-rounded guy. He still had Akamaru as his main partner though, so any girls that would attempt to approach him always came second to his treasured pet. Kiba had grown into his features, his piercing eyes and low voice being well-received now that he was no longer a pre-teen. He was attractive...in a feral kind of way.

She was going to see him tomorrow anyways, he was ordered by the doctor to come again to remove the cast and she had her typical hours at the hospital.

" Sakura-chan, a few ANBU's have stopped by, they've returned from their mission," A nurse informed her, and by now, Sakura knew the drill.

" Where are they?" Sakura asked.

" Main waiting room of Wing E," The nurse informed her.

Sakura saw Ino rounding the corner, approaching the receptionist's desk that she stood by.

" Couple of ANBU's after a mission, Wing E," She told her friend rapidly.

Ino nodded and together they bounded towards the awaiting ninja.

" When do you finish?" Ino made small talk.

" 7 tonight. You?" Sakura responded.

" Damn! I finish at 12," Ino huffed. " I'm pulling a 12 hour shift. Didn't we start together at 12?"

Sakura stuck her tongue out. " Just because we start together doesn't mean we end together, Ino Pig."

" Ah, right," Ino nodded smugly. " You have that date with Itachi tonight."

Sakura instantly became uncomfortable. Leave it to Ino to mercilessly torment her about her meeting later tonight with the elder Uchiha. At least Tenten had grown tired of the act by the end of the night. Thankfully, the girl hadn't done much beyond snickering this morning as they all left for work.

" Are you looking forward to it? Are you guys going to get something to eat?" Ino peppered her pink-haired friend with questions.

" Ino," Sakura began in an exasperated tone. " I'm pretty sure you asked me these very questions last night, and I do believe that I answered them all."

" Yeah, but you're so fucking close man!" Ino exclaimed as she gestured to a wall clock they passed by. "You have only one more hour to go before you meet him. Tell me you aren't excited!"

Sakura allowed a small smile to slip out of her lips. " Okay, maybe I am," She admitted. " But I'm cool. He just wanted to meet me about Sasuke."

" Sasuke, Shmosuke!" Ino exclaimed. " Who cares about that guy? We all know that Itachi used that as an excuse to get closer to you."

Sakura didn't reply, for they had made their way to Wing E and it was time to focus.

Patching up wounded ANBU's was nothing new in the hospital. Every ninja in the village coming back from a mission came here after reporting to the Hokage's office, even if they weren't seriously hurt. Better to get a thorough check-up then dying in your sleep by some noxious poison you hadn't been aware of. Not that death by poison had been a particularly hot cause of death amongst her fellow ninja in the past couple years. It was just the worst case scenario of a ninja being to careless.

All her friends came here, so she wasn't too surprised by the notion that she might run into someone familiar entering the room, she had recognized a sea of familiar faces, but not any that she was particularly close to. Besides Sasuke, that is.

Sakura wanted to smack herself in the head.

 _Of course_ Sasuke was going to be one of the ninja seeking treatment today; he did receive news of his brother's had only been gone for about a day; yet so much had happened within that day that Sakura couldn't keep up. She had left the Uchiha household and she had moved in with her friends. She and Sasuke were on some indefinite break, and she had a date tonight with his brother. Life moved fast.

" ..Sakura." He uttered her name first, and Sakura realized what an idiot she must have looked like before the rest of the patients in the waiting room for just standing and gawking.

Ino gave her a weird look, as if to say, _get a move on, will you?_

" Who needs to get patched up first?" Sakura asked the ninja before her brightly.

Maybe Ino could take him or one of the other medical ninja. There were plenty of capable heads amongst her.A few eager ninja raised their hands, either eager to leave or eager to be treated by Sakura's able hands, she didn't know, but she knew Sasuke would never raise his hand.

"..Sakura," Sasuke repeated again, much to her bewilderment.

The other ninja around them paused, enthusiasm fading at the Uchiha's sudden and uncharacteristic call for attention." Please," Sasuke said hoarsely, barely above a whisper.

Sakura exchanged looks with Ino, and she gestured for Sasuke to follow her into a private room.

" Did you get injured on your mission? You were only gone for a day though, " Sakura asked him quizzically, not prepared for inevitable conversation that was fast approaching.

Something made her feel uneasy, and Sakura was ready to run away with full speed from Sasuke's bullshit.

" Sakura." Sasuke repeated her name a little more louder, a little more firmer.

" You said you were going to be gone for three days, but of course, I assume you came back hearing the good news. Is it good news though? Everyone in the village knows already. Are you going to head to the Uchiha compound after this? Your brother will probably be waiting there for you," Sakura fumbled out a string of sentences, her voice quick and her words slightly panicked.

It was like a sixth sense.

Sakura could smell an awkward confrontation from afar, and soon, Sasuke was going to set the scene and make this encounter in a private examination room as one.

" Sakura." He repeated her name again, his voice indicating that he was near his limit and had little patience.

" What? What? You keep on repeating my name and you're not telling me what's up." She continued. She slowly was beginning to hate how he said her name.

He sounded so loathsome. So exasperated. So done with her.

" I'm sorry."

He stared at her with those piercing eyes, and she knew that he was sincere in what he was about to say.

Sakura laughed awkwardly. " Why are you apologizing Sasuke? You've done nothing wrong."

" The other day when you said you were going to move out of the household..it made me realize a few things."

Sakura's ears perked rarely discussed his emotions and his current feelings. Getting him to admit it and not to omit it was even more rare.

Sakura gulped. "What is it Sasuke?"

Sasuke took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to do.

"...Sakura, I've been selfish," He began, and Sakura agreed wordlessly in her head.

He was least he could admit little did she know, Sasuke was about to admit more than that.

" I've always expected you to be waiting for me. Eventually when I wanted to restore my clan, you were my top choice." He continued.

Sakura felt herself get a little irritated at his words, but then again, she expected him to say as much.

" I lost myself," He admitted. " I had been so obsessed with the idea of finally surpassing my brother, and I didn't care for anyone else and didn't care who I harmed. I hurt you, and I'm not proud of it."

Receiving an apology from Sasuke Uchiha was rare, and she could tell that he was about to continue.

" I'm back now, and I have returned to Konohagakure. I had asked you to live with me on premises that we would eventually start a family together. But Sakura, you want something I cannot give you."

Sakura felt herself sinking, as if the ground beneath her was a pool of quicksand and she was trapped without any possible form of escape.

" You asked me two days ago if I loved you," He continued. " I understand. You cannot share a house with a man you don't love and vice versa. I had thought that you would be able to bear with me."

" I-I don't understand," The stutter in Sakura's voice was apparent, and her eyes darted frantically, denying with all her might what she knew Sasuke was attempting to say. " What are you saying Sasuke?"

" I'm saying," Sasuke reiterated plainly. " That I had thought you would have been capable in bearing with me."

There was a pregnant pause." Bear with you?" Sakura's voice was barely above an octave before it became a painful shout causing Sasuke to grimace. " BEAR WITH YOU?"

She had fire blazing in her emerald orbs, and she wanted to punch him, hurt him, show him a little _bit_ of the hurt she had amassed through the months. " Maybe you weren't abusive, Maybe you didn't force yourself on me, and maybe you didn't insult me every time I did something stupid, but that doesn't mean you didn't hurt me Sasuke Uchiha."

" I understand that you may be upset Sakura-"

"No!" She cut him off, nostrils flaring angrily. " I have every right to be upset! What were we? I waited all this fucking time for you and I supported you through all of it! All of it! All of your fickle mood swings, all your unnecessary actions, and I catered to every one of your requests."

" You could have turned them down," Sasuke was beginning to become defensive. " Like you said, I didn't force you to do anything."

" What the fuck were we Sasuke? Was i just something convenient for you to use? You never once embraced me. Maybe you treated me like an equal and a teammate, but I know for a fact that you would never willingly share a bed with Naruto!" She continued hotly, her face flushing. " You never kissed me, you never told me you loved me. If you never wanted to be affectionate to me, you should have addressed it earlier!"

" Sakura, relationships are not a priority for me right now," Sasuke explained to her calmly. " To be honest, the most I could do to you was have sex. There's no way that I would be able to commit to you right now."

" Then why didn't you?!" She shouted.

Sakura could feel tears prickling at the corner of her eyes.

" Am I ugly to you, huh?! Did you get turned off from my short hair?" She glared at him ruefully." No, nothing like that," He assured. " You were my teammate. There's no way I could be comfortable with defiling you that way."

" Are you kidding me right now Sasuke?" Sakura shouted. " You're telling me that on your quest for redemption, that ever since you returned to Konohagakure six months ago and asked me to live with you, you didn't _once_ have thoughts about me?"

Sasuke looked away.

So he had.

" Don't you care about me Sasuke? Don't you care what you're doing to me right now?" The tears streamed freely from her glassy orbs. She clutched the shirt she wore, the spot right above her heart.

God. Why did it hurt so fucking much?

She couldn't wrap her head around it.

Sasuke claimed to care. He even admitted that he did think of her in a carnal sense. Yet because they had been teammates oh so long ago, he couldn't act on his emotions and show her that he cared for her more than a teammate? The time for redemption had passed so long ago, would it kill him to admit that he loved her? Did he even love her?

No, she thought back to how he had opened the talk.

He had said that he understood her desire to be loved by a man, and he had attempted to apologize immediately after..he didn't love her.

"..I do care Sakura," He didn't look at her. " You're my teammate."

Sakura grinned maniacally.

It was a tendency she had when she was very upset, she knew.

" I'm always a teammate to you, huh?" She chuckled. " Anything else you'd like to add? Any mysterious woman in your life that may have contributed to you deciding that I'm not worth it?"

Sasuke tried meeting her eyes, but he looked away the moment he saw how fierce her eyes looked.

He couldn't lie to her.

"..So you have." Sakura nodded, her face morphing into an expressionless one. " So you were fucking her every night before coming home to sleep in the same bed as me."

" Sakura, you've got it all wrong," Sasuke attempted to explain himself again. " There were nights that I was on a mission, and, I had no other sense of release. There was no one else I could have become intimate with besides her. She accompanied me."

" Wow, so fucking a teammate, " Sakura's voice was venomous and stinging like acid and Sasuke winced at the truth in her words. " How fucking ironic."

It wasn't an actual betrayal, she told herself.

She and Sasuke had never defined what they were. They had never embraced each other, he had never told her that he loved her, but he sure didn't interrupt her everytime she told him that she did.

But why did it hurt so much like one?

" I have to get back to the compound." Sasuke stood up and Sakura gritted her teeth.

Of course he was leaving.

Now that the cat was out of the bag, he had no other option but to retreat.

Truthfully, Sakura was a bit disappointed. But then again, did she really want to hear the gory details any further?

" Good luck with your move Sakura," He bid her farewell before leaving the room, shutting it close and leaving Sakura with her fast-approaching tears.

* * *

A/N: To the anonymous reviewer. It's my story. It's not strictly canon. But it is a sasusaku story. Deal. To reiterate. They are going to be together, and real shit like cheating happens in real relationships. To continue, Sasuke has never claimed to be with Sakura; that will be further explained in the following chapter. Not everything is black and white in this fic, there are layers of emotion that need to be sorted out through, and is a more critical and complex read. It's a love story. Not everything is going to be all sunshine and butterflies.

Thanks~


	4. Chapter 4

**I need a (Wo)man**

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how…

* * *

 **Chapter Four  
**

Sakura wanted to be that woman that you saw in TV shows and comics, sassy and headstrong. She wanted to be the kind of girl that would have taken Sasuke's heartfelt confession with a grain of salt, and proceeded to kick him to the curb. She didn't want to be the girl that broke down before him; she wanted to be the girl who barely batted an eye and asked him coolly, "Are you done yet?"

But she wasn't.

She was Sakura Haruno, softie galore. Prone to being a pushover and quick to come at Sasuke's defense the moment someone dared to voice their unpopular opinion about him. She was the girl that broke down the moment the man she loved admitted that he never saw her that way, and had no intention of doing so. She was the girl that, despite his brutal rejection, still cared for him deeply. He had been with another woman. She wasn't good enough. She never caught his eye as more than a convenient mom-type.

Wasn't she pretty enough?

Wasn't she sexy enough?

Wasn't she _enough_?

Apparently not.

She hadn't been aware of the time, and she only registered that she was still in that damn examination room an hour past when she was due to clock out. Bless Ino's curious nature, if she hadn't peered into the room in search of her, Sakura was unsure how long she was going to remain there weeping silently.

Ino had ushered her out of the room and took one good look at her.  
It was obvious that whatever Sasuke had said to her best friend in the room over an hour ago had absolutely crushed her, and Ino felt angry on her behalf. Sakura hadn't looked this torn since the war, and it wasn't fair that she had to endure his emotional behavior.

So the man was stupid and was completely useless when it came to realizing what he had before him. Besides threatening to cut his balls off, what could they do?

Ino didn't have the solution to Sakura's biggest problem this time, so she did what she could do and hugged her.  
Somehow, the gesture made Sakura tear up harder, and she clutched Ino's shirt tightly as she sobbed into it.

She didn't deserve this.  
She really didn't deserve this.

* * *

Sasuke hadn't gone back to the Uchiha compound like he had said.

The night was still young, and the sun had just barely set.

If he returned to his home now, he knew he would only be met with his brother's curious, yet all-seeing gaze. He would be able to see through his cool facade, and he would be able to guess and figure out what had his younger brother so wound out.

And Sasuke didn't want that happening.

He didn't know if Itachi had become acquainted with Sakura yet, and he wasn't keen on introducing them. Not that Sakura would be anywhere within a ten-foot pole around him now, but the mere thought of discussing Sakura with his elder brother made his brain hurt.

The rumours had been that his brother had returned for good, no reanimation jutsu involved. This made Sasuke curious, and he was suspicious of his brother's reemergence in his life. He was happy yes, but Sasuke had learned that his optimistic and happy moments were few and far between. Nothing as magical as this happened without paying a price.  
He knew his brother would be waiting for him at the compound, and technically he was still on that mission. He had come back on the second day, but he officially wasn't due for his return until tomorrow morning or so.  
Would it be so bad if he made the decision in avoiding his brother for another day?

No, Sasuke shook his head at the thought.

Prolonging his inevitable meeting with Itachi beyond tonight would be suspicious. He knew that Itachi knew that he was back, but, judging from how alone he was at this moment, his brother chose not to seek him out.

Sasuke stood up from where he sat by Hokage Rock.

Konohagakure was lively tonight, as it was every other night.

Sasuke wondered how long it had been like this, before and after his return. Without him, the people of Konohagakure would move on. The lights still would shine, the shoes of Hokage would still be filled. The mornings still would come, and the preparation for the annual chunin exams would commence.

The chunin exams had been where it had all started, and it was amazing how long it took for him to find his way back to the place he had regarded home so long ago.

" What are you thinking of?"

Sasuke inwardly groaned as he recognized the owner of the voice.

He had been hoping for some more time alone before he had to go back and face his brother. But now with her appearance, the calm and reassuring silence he had from his perspective at the top of the rock had been muddled.

" What do you want, Karin?" His tone was cold, but then again, it always was.

Karin didn't seem miffed by his frigid voice. She had gotten used to his mannerisms being on his team, after all. She gazed out at the bright lights of the city before her and beyond that, the reflection visible in her glasses. " I was just wondering what you were up to, came back early from your mission."

" Nothing gets by you, does it?" He said sarcastically.

" I hear your brother is back," She added. " Were you thinking of seeing him?"

Sasuke snorted. " He's been ordered to live with me at the compound, I couldn't not see him even if I wanted to."

"Hmm. Thinking of introducing him to your team?" She teased her former leader good-naturedly. " I think he'll be pleased to know you named our team after him. The second time, that is."

Sakura shot her a displeased look, which made Karin stifle her chuckle.

" What about pinky?" Karin prodded. " Did she meet him yet?"

It was like a roundabout. One way or another, the conversation always seemed to return to Sakura.

" I don't know." Was his short reply.

" I hear she moved out of the compound recently. Staying with a couple of her friends. Did you guys have a falling out?" Karin continued. " Or maybe she finally found out about-"

" I told her," Sasuke cut the redhead off. " I told her about us."

Karin looked taken aback. " Really Sasuke? I never thought you would. I always thought..Pinky was the person you were going to spend the rest of your life with."

" She was," He refused to speak more than that.

" Does that mean, that you're finally ready to be with me Sasuke?"

Although he knew Karin was joking, one would have to be dumber than Naruto not to notice the hope laced in her voice.  
Karin had been more of his woman than Sakura had been, at least in the physical way. She, like Sakura had an infatuation with him that soon developed into a full-blown crush, and that had slowly developed into feelings of adoration and love. He had been aware of Karin's feelings too. The way they had ended up together was the way everyone ended up together. Well, maybe not specifically.

He had needed release one night, and Karin, seeing him distressed in such an odd way, offered to help him, in anyway she could. Sasuke had asked her to touch him, which had startled the red-haired kunoichi, but she had happily obliged. One thing led to another, and within the hour, he was deep inside of Karin's walls, her warmth milking him and inching him closer to the release he desperately craved.

That had been the first night.

Sasuke swore that he would never ask such a thing of her again, but yet again, the craving came back.

And yet again, he had sought Karin out in the middle of the night to assist him with his dilemma.

They had done that for four months so far. Every mission he had with her, it became a sort of game. Sasuke had made her promise not to speak of their predicament to anyone, and thankfully, Karin had obliged.

She too, was becoming more and more intoxicated by his lustful touch.

He knew he had no feelings for her; He knew that he was never going to end up seriously considering her to be the mother of his children, and besides, he had time.

But that didn't stop him from shouting that he loved her every time they came.

What they were doing right now, most people their age called it having fun. And if having fun meant that Sasuke could feel total elation inside of Karin, he wanted as much of it as he could get.

Was it morally wrong? Yes. He had been living with Sakura for all those months he had been intimate with Karin, and there were nights where he would sneak out and sneak back into the bedroom he shared with Sakura just to get a few touches of Karin's body.

He liked Sakura, and truly respected her powers and capabilities as a teammate. He even had a tender spot in his black hole of a heart for the pinkette, but he could not bring himself to relinquish the touch of the fiery redhead for the sweet angel he knew for more than half of his life.

Sakura was innocent and caring, the type of woman you wanted to have as your wife.

Karin was the woman you snuck off to meet once your wife was sound asleep.

Was it so bad to want to have both?

It wasn't like Karin couldn't become the woman that had his children. No, she was a capable shinobi, and she had proven to be quite intelligent when they had been on a team together. She was visibly attractive, although maybe he did have a slight preference for pink hair instead of red. She had legs that went on for miles, and god did she sound hot when she moaned his name.

But she wasn't Sakura.

It wasn't like Sakura couldn't be what Karin was to him.

There were nights that he didn't want to see Karin, even when they had been out together on missions and they had all the time in the world to explore each other. There were moments where he just saw pink. The moments had been frequent, and he had attempted to get rid of his desires for his former teammate by continually having sex with Karin. He pulled her hair and treated her roughly, attempting to physically draw out his desire for Sakura and inflict it on Karin. The redhead had enjoyed it, mistaking his angry passion as lust instead of his frustration at his own feelings. After the deed had been done though, Sasuke felt guilty. How dare he imagine Sakura that way? After all the hurt he had put her through, how dare he ruin her image with his vile thoughts?

And then the cycle of sneaky meetings commenced again.

He didn't even know how he could begin to describe what Sakura meant to him.

He just knew that she wasn't Karin.

" Earth to Sasuke," Karin waved a pale hand in front of his face.

Sasuke scowled at his former teammate. " I'm not a child Karin."

" I know," She smiled at him, but he noticed that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

" I'm going to head back," He informed her. " You can go to bed. I'm not stopping by tonight."

" Sure," She nodded, seemingly not affected by Sasuke's curt words.

Sasuke nodded at her slightly before disappearing from where he stood next to Hokage rock. Sasuke didn't want his brother waiting too long.

* * *

" You certainly took a while to get back," Itachi remarked as soon as Sasuke had stepped inside his home.

Of course Itachi would be waiting for him. What did Sasuke expect?

Moving between the shadows was Itachi's speciality. Gave him that whole mysterious vibe people associated him with.

" I was thinking," Came his short reply.

" So it seems," Itachi stared at his younger brother, knowing that something had unsettled him.

Sasuke never acted so distant with Itachi. In their youth, when Sasuke had made it his goal to surpass him, Sasuke was always a wild burst of emotion when it came to his older brother. But now it looked like Sasuke couldn't get away from Itachi fast enough.

" I'm tired after the mission," Sasuke lied between his teeth. " I should be heading to bed."

" Ah yes, your bed." Itachi gave him a knowing look. " It had been occupied earlier."

Sasuke groaned inwardly.

Sakura was yet again the main topic for every conversation he had.

It was like everyone knew that they had well..been separated.

" What about it?" Sasuke asked, seemingly unfazed.

" Do you love her?" Came Itachi's question.

Sasuke became stiff and he looked away from his brother. He could lie to Sakura easy. He could lie to Karin easy. He even could lie to himself, with a bit of work.

But he never felt more confused.

When Itachi received no answer, he chuckled. " Foolish little brother. I'll see you in the morning. I'm heading to my old room."

" Night," Sasuke replied, refusing to look up from the floor until he had been certain Itachi had left to his room.

Sasuke made his way over to the room he had shared with Sakura barely some nights ago.

 _You never told me you loved me._

 _You never kissed me._

Sakura's voice haunted him as he remembered their dramatic conversation that had taken place in the day. She had made a fair point, and he didn't blame her for feeling the way that she had.

He never truly acknowledged her as a lover.

He wasn't sure if he could come to love her.

He stripped off his clothing and dropped onto the large bed. He spread his arms wide open, feeling nothing beyond the coolness of the sheets. He wasn't able to do that a couple nights ago; he would have collided with Sakura's sleeping form. She would have mumbled something in her sleep and subconsciously moved towards him, seeking warmth.

He held her sometimes in her sleep.

She was a stubborn one, every time he tried to reposition her into sleeping on her side of the bed, she always managed to toss a leg onto his side, and eventually take over the entire bed. The only way that she seemed to stay put was if he held her.

She never woke up to him holding her though.

He always left before she got the chance.

Sasuke wondered what she was doing now; if she was ok from his cold confession.

He knew that he wasn't going to see her any time soon, and if he did, it would be awkward. It was good that she moved out, he decided.

If she hadn't moved out, he wouldn't have been able to spare her from the cruel yet necessary words yesterday.

And, if he no longer had Sakura, he still had Karin.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I'm fully aware, this fic has quickly turned into the we-hate-Sasuke-club. He's a narcissistic, selfish cheater, but you see, if it hasn't been cleared up with this chapter, Sakura and Sasuke are in a gray area. They weren't together, but they weren't not together. A lot of guys do this now, unfortunately, we call them fuckboys. He held her in some emotional regard, but he feels guilty to even think he could be happy. You won't believe why some people act like that..it's illogical right? But that's who he is right now, emotional, irrational..it's complex. Anywho, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter~


	5. Chapter 5

**I need a (Wo)man**

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how…

 **Chapter Five**

* * *

There was nothing more that Sakura wanted to do than cry.

She wanted to curl up in her most snug pajamas and watch her favorite trash reality shows on TV. She wanted to consume an entire pint of vanilla ice cream, and she wanted to shop till she dropped. She wanted to cry; she wanted to write insults in her journal about how much of a dick Sasuke was.

But she didn't do any of those things.

Instead, she had no other choice but to pull up her big girl pants and move on with her life.

She was a respected and talented kunoichi of Konohagakure. She was an elite medical ninja, and she had day to day duties that she needed to fulfill. She didn't have time to mope and fret over Sasuke.

Sure, she had allowed herself a temporary moment of weakness when Ino had discovered her in the examination room, but Sakura was firm in her desire not to have a repeat of that experience. The girls had already heard of her story, and they all showed their support, in their own ways. Tenten had threatened to chop his balls off and Hinata had offered to buy her whatever she liked in means of material fulfillment. Ino had remarkably, stayed mum about the entire incident in the examination room, and for that, Sakura was grateful. It wasn't everyday that Ino respected someone's privacy.

" Hey there Sakura,"

Sakura glanced up from the medical records she was currently looking for behind the receptionist's desk in the pediatrics department. There were five incoming patients with appointments today, and Sakura wanted to have their records on hand now so she wouldn't have to do it later. It had been a long day at work, and it was barely halfway done. Sakura hated it, so she kept on trying to find something to do. The hospital usually was always busy, but for some reason, everything felt so overwhelming to her today.

" Hey there Kiba," She returned the grin. " I see you're out of the cast."

Kiba grinned wider, and touched his cast-free arm and flexed it, showing off the prominent muscles. " Man, those were the worst six weeks of my life,"

" Well I'm glad you're doing better!" She smiled brightly. " Are you going to the Hokage's office to see if you're eligible for any upcoming missions?"

Kiba nodded. " You don't know how long I was itching for some action. Man, having a broken arm isn't as fun as it looks. I don't know how Naruto and Sasuke dealt with the pain. On top of that they had them ripped off!"

Sakura's smile faded temporarily at the mention of her former love, but when Kiba looked at her, the grin that had been there originally was set in place.

" Oh yeah, speaking of Uchiha, I guess I lost," Kiba frowned slightly.

" What?" Sakura drew a blank.

What was Kiba even talking about…?

" You know Sakura, that bet we made yesterday," Kiba reminded her. " I was sure that I was going to win but yesterday I saw some girls holding a bunch of signs outside of the Hokage's building. I didn't think it would happen so soon, but they all had hearts on them saying that they loved Itachi Uchiha," Kiba shuddered. " I don't know how they find him irresistible. He scares me."

Ah shit.

Sakura's eyes widened, realization hitting her once she registered that she was supposed to meet Itachi yesterday after work. She had completely bailed on him. Given the situation, no one could really blame her for not wanting to see anybody, much less another Uchiha, but Sakura still felt guilty. It wasn't Itachi's fault that Sasuke was a lying asshole. In fact, he was probably the most innocent person, he had just been brought back to life for goodness sake. He had no time to even become caught up in their crazy drama.

Sakura bit her lip, wondering what she could do to remedy the situation. She was certain that Itachi would accept her apology and be willing to hear her out, or at least be willing to listen to the excuse she would come up with on why she didn't meet him last night. She didn't exactly want to disclose the embarrassing details. Only question was how. The only place Sakura knew that Itachi would definitely be was the Uchiha compound, and even then, he probably would have stepped outside to get some motion in. Not to mention Sakura didn't want to visit the Uchiha compound for any reason anyways. What if she ran into Sasuke? After yesterday's ordeal, the thought of seeing him face to face again was much too tremendous.

"...So here's the hundred bucks," Kiba handed her two paper notes. " I'll admit my defeat."

" haha!" Sakura smirked at the money in her hand, instantly bringing her back from her worries and lifting her mood.

Sakura loved being proved right, and she loved winning even more.

" Yeah, yeah, I'll admit it, you won, Sakura Haruno," Kiba said carelessly. " But I bet that Sasuke has more members in his fanclub than Itachi does. Care to wager another bet?"

Sakura shook her head. " I know when to cut my losses."

" Haruno-san!" A nurse dressed in plain cream-colored scrubs approached her, a look of urgency on her face.

Sakura inwardly grumbled.

She suspected that they had just received another patient in intensive care, or one that required immediate surgery. However, when the nurse had informed her of her duties, Sakura couldn't help but become intrigued.

" Hokage-sama said that?" Sakura asked, raising a brow.

The nurse nodded. " He requires your presence in his office at once!"

When Kakashi-sensei had become Hokage, Sakura had to admit that it had taken a while for her to adjust. Never mind her, it had taken even longer for Naruto to wrap his head around the fact that yes, their former teacher was now the representative of the land of fire. He still called him Kakashi-sensei and refused to call him otherwise. He was after all their easygoing teacher, known for his one sharingan eye and ubiquitously pervy Icha Icha Paradise novels.  
Although languid, their sensei made a capable Hokage, but beyond assigning the rare mission, Sakura saw the least of him compared to the rest of team 7. Naruto practically lived and breathed in the office, and Sasuke always was there receiving new, S-class solo missions. So it was rare to hear that he was requesting _her_ sole presence in his office at once.

Kiba whistled. " Looks like he has a super secret mission for you,"

Sakura frowned slightly. She was too valuable at the hospital to be sent off on any mission, everyone knew that. " I highly doubt it."

But that made Sakura wonder, what exactly did she want him for?

* * *

" You requested to see me, Hokage-sama?" Sakura peered into the office, taking note of how messy it had gotten since the last time she had been in here.

Papers that begged for the Hokage's signature were in a flurry all over the room, on the desk, on the floors, either in heaping stacks or carelessly tossed. The blinds were nearly shut, barely allowing any sunlight to peek in. She saw her former sensei sitting behind the desk, dark bags underneath his eyes, donning the white robe that spelled out his position in red embroidery on the back. He looked tired and overwhelmed, and Sakura wondered how long her former sensei had been holed up in the office.

" Yes, Sakura, come in," Kakashi gestured her to come forward. " How is the hospital treating you?"

Sakura shrugged. " It's a routine that I've gotten used to."

" Tired of it?" Her former teacher smirked. " I wouldn't blame you if you were."

Sakura laughed sheepishly. " It's my duty to take care of the citizens of Konoha,"

Kakashi nodded in agreement. " I bet you're wondering why I asked you to be here," he said, cutting straight to the chase.  
Sakura nodded, wordlessly letting Kakashi know he could continue with whatever point he was about to make.

" Sakura, you've proven to be very skilled at what you do," Kakashi began. " In fact, you're the most skilled when it comes to medical ninjutsu."

Sakura nodded, wondering where her sensei was getting at.

" Not everyone knows medical ninjutsu, and through recommendations, I have decided in implementing a mandatory course for all upcoming Academy students," Kakashi elaborated. "There are many benefits to knowing medical ninjutsu, and while it takes utmost diligence to attain the level of skill that you possess, many in the council agree that it would be beneficial for all ninja to hold some kind of knowledge in it."

Sakura nodded, liking the sound of the idea. " So you want me to teach an academy class?" She asked, a bit perplexed.

While she wholeheartedly agreed that medical ninjutsu was quite valuable, she had a great duty at the hospital, and she was uncertain on how she would be able to commit to both the hospital and teaching a class.

" Not necessarily," Kakashi replied. " I was thinking more along the lines of you teach someone, and they teach students at the academy. I'll be asking a few other capable medical-nin to teach other jounin-level ninja. We'll effectively not only be teaching academy students, but current shinobi as well."

" That sounds like a good idea," Sakura agreed. " But how will that work for shinobi who are unable to utilize ninjutsu and genjutsu?" Lee came to mind.

How could shinobi like him benefit from this?

" There are many medicinal properties that can be gathered from various plants," Kakashi replied. " For shinobi who cannot access ninjutsu and genjutsu, they will be required to study the various remedies that can be created in the peaks of battle,"

" How will this work around my schedule at the hospital?" The pinkette inquired. " And how long will I be teaching? And to how many fellow shinobi?"

" You will take two weeks off from the hospital to properly introduce the ninjutsu and train from dawn to dusk. There will be four other medical-nin also out, as they too will be teaching shinobi. Once the two weeks are over, you may return to the hospital and resume your duties."

" Who will I be training with?" Sakura asked curiously.

She hoped it wouldn't be Naruto. While her former teammate was an outstanding and talented ninja, she knew that the two of them put together on the training grounds would quickly become the opposite of productive. Naruto didn't exactly have the patience, and she knew that she would sooner or later use her strength to knock him out. But then again, Naruto would be far better than Sasuke.

" Someone new," Kakashi informed her vaguely. " He's returned to the village under some really strange circumstances, but he expressed his adamant desire to support the village in any way he can. We're thinking of sending him out on missions soon, but we were thinking of letting the academy students wear him out before he did that,"

Sakura laughed awkwardly.

Kakashi-sensei sure knew how to make someone feel unappreciated.

" Anyways, you'll be meeting with him every morning at nine on the old training grounds team seven used to use. He's a smart ninja, he'll catch on to whatever you teach him in no time," Kakashi assured her.

" It warms my heart knowing that the sixth Hokage has so much faith in my abilities,"

Sakura's eyes slightly widened at the sudden voice that joined them.

She turned around, knowing exactly who it was behind her.

" Itachi," Kakashi greeted. " You certainly know how to make an entrance. I almost didn't detect you."

Itachi stepped forward, standing next to Sakura as he faced the sixth Hokage, a blank look on his face. " I have been made aware that I will be teaching children soon, and that Haruno-san will be my instructor on medical ninjutsu."

" Nothing gets by an Uchiha, does it?" the corners of Kakashi's mouth turned up.

Itachi gave Sakura a little bow. " I look forward to training with you, Haruno-san."

Sakura gulped, guilt of the previous day filling her. Itachi was standing right next to her. She had to apologize to him!

" If you'll allow us, Sakura," Kakashi began. " Itachi here has come to deliver me some top secret information."

" O-oh! Yeah, right, definitely, I'll be going!" A string of responses jumbled out of her mouth, and she unceremoniously slammed the door as she left the two shinobi to discuss matters privately.

Sakura paced back and forth in the hall, playing out the various situations that could happen tomorrow in her head. Itachi could either, A) Ignore what had happened between them and not bother to ask for an explanation, or B) Interrupt her in the middle of training to make her thoroughly uncomfortable with his prying eyes and pointed questions. Worse, she knew that despite the situation, Itachi would bring Sasuke up.

Even though she agreed with the creation of a mandatory medical course, she couldn't help but feel anxious at the thought of spending so much time personally with the elder Uchiha. Not only would she become familiar with his quirks of battle and go-to techniques, she would begin to understand his character, and the thought of getting swept up in another Uchiha's web made her feel a little woozy.

 _You're better than this,_ Sakura told herself.

So what if Itachi Uchiha was hot?

He was still an Uchiha.

" You seem to be in deep thought,"

Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin when the all too familiar voice of Itachi joined her again in the hall.

" You need to stop doing that," She retorted. " You nearly gave me a scare."

The elder Uchiha said nothing, but stared at the pinkette with mild curiosity. " So you're the most skilled kunoichi within the village, I hear that your strength is great and that your skill in medical ninjutsu is even more incredible."

Sakura shrugged, attempting to play off Itachi's compliment, although her cheeks tinged as pink as her hair, betraying her. " It's no big deal. I just trained a lot with Tsunade-shishou."

" So it seems," Itachi nodded. " I look forward to training with you for the next two weeks,"

" O-Of course!" Sakura blurted out, a large and rather awkward smile plastered on her face.

 _How cringeworthy,_ she thought.

The Uchiha motioned to leave, not giving away any hints that he was upset at her; but that didn't stop Sakura from reaching out and grabbing him by the sleeve of his shirt.

Itachi paused, and looked over his shoulder at the pinkette.

Sakura immediately let go, feeling stupid for touching the Uchiha randomly.

"I-I wanted to apologize for last night," Her emerald orbs darted nervously, noticing everything but the gaze Itachi was giving her. " I couldn't make it after work, and I've been meaning to approach you about it."

" There's no need," Itachi informed her. " I understand,"

Sakura furrowed her brow. Did Itachi know that his younger brother had absolutely demolished her heart yesterday?

She hoped not.

" I'll see you at nine tomorrow?" He asked her.

" Y-yeah!" Sakura nodded.

Itachi lowered his head in a slight bow, but not before giving Sakura a gentle yet quick smile.

Sakura's eyes widened at the rare and seemingly uncharacteristic gesture. Itachi only seemed to be willing to reveal him emotions to Sasuke, and even then, it took him dying and coming back to life once before for Sasuke to actually understand Itachi's twisted ways of love.

However, the moment she blinked, the smile was gone.

She hadn't imagined that, right?

Itachi Uchiha had smiled at her, right?

Sakura placed a hand on her forehead, making sure that she wasn't running a fever. Her forehead felt cool and she felt perfectly normal, meaning that she hadn't just imagined the exchange, and Itachi Uchiha _had_ smiled at her. She watched Itachi's retreating back turn the corner, and a light feeling of elation and excitement engulfed her.

She smiled giddily as she made her way out of the building, her feet treading lightly on the cement of the buildings she passed through.

Starting tomorrow, she was on a break from the hospital.

And starting tomorrow, she was training with Itachi Uchiha.

Sakura could hardly wait.

* * *

It was in the dead of night when Sasuke had come to seek out her presence once again.

Karin had to admit that she hadn't been too surprised at his actions, despite him effectively pushing her away with his moody aura during their brief conversation at Hokage Rock. She knew that Sasuke had moments of hesitation when it came to what they were doing, but just like a drug, he always came back.

" Fuck Karin, you feel so damn good," He groaned out breathlessly, grasping her round hips more firmly and thrusting into her more vigorously.

They were both hot and sweaty, the skin on skin contact making loud slapping noises that ricocheted around her room. Karin threw her head back in pleasure, grinding her hips and meeting his every time in synchrony. Sasuke grabbed a handful of her long, crimson hair with one hand, and a pert breast with the other.

Karin moved from her crouched position on the bed, and instantly she was riding him, her hands on his chest with her breasts bouncing attractively as she aimed to intensify the already enjoyable feeling.

They usually met twice a week, and when they were assigned on missions together, (which was quite frequently considering that their prior experience as a team,) they had sex every night they possibly could. Karin wasn't afraid to admit that she enjoyed sex a lot, and she especially enjoyed it with Sasuke. When they had first done it, it had been clumsy and a bit too quick and amateurish on both ends, but they had quickly moved on from that and now turned to each other when the other had an intense craving. No,she shouldn't say that. It wasn't like Sasuke actually agreed to have sex when she wanted to. It was always about him.

She was aware that what she was doing was morally wrong, and she also aware of Pinky, and her intense feelings she had for Sasuke. Karin held those very same feelings for the very same man, but in the back of her mind, she was fully aware of the fact that Sasuke would never choose her to rebuild his clan. He just didn't see her as wife material. Perhaps a concubine or mistress, sure, but not someone he would readily claim.

It wasn't like Pinky and Sasuke had defined anything, right? They just lived together...although Pinky cared for him like a lover might care for her beloved. She made meals for him and she readily supported him, and she got wind that Pinky might have even begun to tell Sasuke that she loved him. But Sasuke never held her hand or addressed her as his lover. He never did the little things a lover might do, like bringing her souvenirs from his missions or giving her a bouquet of flowers randomly to show her how much he cared. It was laughable to Karin to even consider them something serious, especially when he snuck off to meet her ever so often.

From Karin's perspective, their relationship was dauntingly obvious and one-sided.

At least Sasuke had told her that he loved her, and he willingly had sex with her, which from her knowledge, knew he could never do with Pinky. She didn't know why, but she assumed that it had to be the pinkette's fault. After all, Sasuke had no trouble getting right down to the act upon entering _her_ chambers.

Karin knew that a declaration of love wasn't something to be taken seriously from Sasuke, but Karin couldn't help but hope. The fact that he sought her out so often must mean something, right? If she was really so useless to him, why was he not cutting ties with her instead of Pinky?

Karin threw her head back, her bright tresses cascading down her back haphazardly. She opened her mouth and let out an intense moan, squeezing her eyes shut as she jerked, letting the intense feeling of an orgasm wash over her body.  
Sasuke too, jerked upwards and began slamming her down onto his manhood, his thrusts becoming more forceful and quick, and she knew that he was close.

With a guttural sound, Sasuke's pace slowed, and she felt the hot stickiness of his cum warm her insides.

She bent down and dropped a light kiss on his lips, one that he failed to respond to.

Karin frowned a bit, seeing his body's reluctance to reciprocate and shut eyes. She wordlessly got up from the bed and headed towards the bathroom to clean up, knowing that by the time she was finished, Sasuke would be gone.

* * *

A/N: Hello everyone, I feel the need to clarify things for people who keep on insisting that this is not a SasuSaku story. It is, and please don't bother writing the same thing and saying it isn't. I know in which way I want this story to go, and no matter how many times I say it, It is SasuSaku. I'm not going to give you the typical scenario, and it will remain as such. If the plot (which is still not completely revealed) bothers you so much, I guess I'm doing the right thing as a writer because strong emotion and response is what authors go for. I assure you, by the time this story is finished, you'll get what I mean. But until then, just see :)

Moreover, I am not misleading anyone in the tags. It contains mature themes, is about drama and romance. The story encompasses Sakura and Sasuke, and my summary hints that there is an indecision about her feelings. That is true, and if you personally have an issue, you can PM me so I can clarify things for you. I'm not putting a warning either. I'm not putting anything triggering in my story, so I don't see why I should. You may think it's misleading but again, this is an in-progress work? You are not the author? You keep on coming back and writing anonymous reviews, looking for a change. There will be, but not yet. My goal, as the author is to invoke as much emotion as I possibly can. I'm not at the climax yet, so please, have a little patience. Ideas like love isn't always sunshine and butterflies. Love hurts.

And for anyone not liking that, let me ask you something open-ended.

Have you ever experienced pain because of love?

It isn't easy.


	6. Chapter 6

**I need a (Wo)man**

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how…

 **Chapter Six**

* * *

It was safe to say that Sakura was a nervous wreck.

Today was the first day of her two week training session with Itachi, and she couldn't have felt more wasn't that she wasn't intimidated by Itachi's skill like most other ninja. No, she knew that Itachi was a fierce shinobi, and anyone who faced him in battle would most likely not survive; but Sakura was also confident in her personal abilities. No, rather, Sakura was more anxious by his presence, and the affect he had on her emotionally.

For some odd reason, every time she saw the elder Uchiha she was resorted to a little girl, her tongue getting tied and her cheeks becoming flushed. Her behavior mirrored that of her naive genin self, and she cringed at the thought of a man making her react that way again. She hardly knew the man, hadn't spoken to him _once_ before his return, and she had just separated from Sasuke a couple of days ago.

Why was she acting like this?

Maybe it was her way of dealing with the fact that Sasuke had toyed with her emotions and lead her on. Maybe she was just restless, and wanted to focus her fickle heart on someone similar to him, so she could feel like she hadn't just been totally rejected. And who better to remind her of Sasuke than his brother?

 _That's stupid,_ Sakura grumbled inwardly.

Why would she waste her time like that? Not to mention she was putting an unaware Itachi in a situation he probably had no interest in being a part of.

 _It's all fantasy,_ She scolded herself. _It's not as if Sasuke's the kind of guy to come running back once he realizes he lost something great. As if Itachi Uchiha actually likes you._

Sakura sighed loudly as she made her way out of the shared apartment and headed towards the training grounds they had agreed to meet on. The training grounds were only a stone's throw away from the Uchiha residence, so she expected to see the elder Uchiha to already be there waiting for her. She eradicated the prior thoughts from her mind, vowing that she would remain focused on the task at hand and do her best to educate him on medical ninjutsu.

Kakashi had sent word via Tenten that Sakura and Itachi would meet only four hours a day, as the elder Uchiha had felt that he could become proficient within half the time. When Tenten had told her the news she admittedly let out a relieved sigh.

" I didn't think you'd be happy about avoiding him," Tenten remarked. " Did something happen between you too?"

" Besides acting like an awkward little girl?" Sakura retorted. " No, I just feel that romance is something I shouldn't be focusing on. Just because I'm going to be with him everyday for the next two weeks doesn't mean that I _have_ to make a move on him. Besides, I'd rather focus on myself right now."

She had told herself that last night, but she felt foolish for betraying her words so quickly.

Perfecting the curriculum should be her main focus right now, and even if she had to meet Itachi for twelve hours a day, teaching medical ninjutsu was far more important and productive than her silly feelings. She had a chance to really change and impact the village, and besides the Hokage, knowing that she was the brains of the operation put a lot of weight on her shoulders. There was no way she was going to allow herself to be distracted by a pretty Uchiha face.

" You seem distracted,"

Sakura blinked, momentarily forgetting her thoughts as she registered the smooth voice of the elder Uchiha, his words echoing her feelings. She looked up, miraculously finding herself surrounded by a vast and luscious forest. She hadn't been paying attention to where she was going, but her feet had led her here quite quickly.

Sakura shot her tall acquaintance a smile, wondering how he managed to surprise her with his presence every time.

" You could say that," Sakura allowed. " Have a lot of things running through my mind."

Itachi nodded. "I would presume so. Are you ready? I thought that we should spar, best get acquainted with one another."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at that.

Besides Tsunade and occasionally her friends, no one really wanted to spar with her. Some of her friends were part of clans that had kekkai genkais, like Hinata, so they insisted on training within the grounds of their own households to nurture under their own watchful eyes. Even Sasuke and Naruto, who didn't have a clan's pressure, always opted to train by themselves or with their former sensei. They never offered it to her, and Sakura wasn't going to embarrass herself by asking them to spar. Naruto would humour her, like he always did, by momentarily allowing himself to shoot a few kunai and other projectile weapons at a target. Even when she had egged him on for hand to hand combat or comparing their abilities in ninjutsu, he always said something along the lines of not wanting her to get hurt.

Even though she knew Naruto meant well, she couldn't help but become vexed.

She was strong!

And she wouldn't even bother with Sasuke.

She had offered to spar with him one day because Naruto was running late, but he had scoffed and said that she would only get in the way because she was too weak.

After that, she had never asked again.

Sakura spread her legs at an equal distance apart, her face growing determined.

She was going to make Itachi Uchiha acknowledge her talent, no matter what.

* * *

Karin never was fond of the idea of waking up early.

The faint noises of birds chirping and sunlight streaming into her bedroom only added annoyance and reason to why she hated mornings.

It was like the world was trying _too hard_ to make everyone wake up.

Karin let out an irritated grumble, refusing to open her eyes and allowing them to adjust to the sunlight peaking into her room. She repositioned her body to face away from the window, and buried herself in the soft and fuzzy blanket covering her.

She was planning on sleeping the entire day away. She had just come back yesterday afternoon from a miniscule mission, and while it was no sweat, Sasuke had come to seek her out last night. Even though she loved the time they spent together, Karin had to admit that there were some days she was tired as a dog. Yet she never voiced her opinion for fear of Sasuke dropping her as his...sex friend. She knew that Sasuke was hard to crack. He was like a nut that had another layer of shell underneath what one had assumed would be impenetrable. She knew she didn't possess the key to his heart. But, he was still having sex with her. And that had to count for something..right?

Karin squeezed her eyes shut, grimacing at the idea of Sasuke having genuine feelings for Pinky. Sakura wasn't even good-looking! Besides her hair and eyes, there was nothing particularly eye catching about her! Sure, there was her monstrous strength, but seriously, who found that attractive? If someone had told Karin that they thought Sakura was attractive, she would have laughed in their face. Attractive? Where?

She was far more prettier!

Karin scrunched up her face subconsciously, becoming angry at the thought of Sakura. Her arms wrapped around a pillow ferociously, and if it were alive, it would have been dead by the chokehold Karin was currently attempting to do in her sleep.

" Yo, dumbass, you're looking really stupid choking your pillow. Man, what did the pillow ever do to you? I bet you'll never find a man, acting like that."

Karin's face scrunched up even more in irritation, recognizing the slimy voice. Her eyes shot open furiously, her fist ready to aim into her comrade's face.

" Say that again fish face I dare you!" Karin lunged at her teammate, her fist barely grazing his body before he morphed into a puddle on the floor.

He reformed into a human once again. " There there, you don't need to act so aggressive."

" What are you doing in my apartment?!" Karin shouted, her nostrils fuming because of her dream and because of Suigetsu's disturbance.

Man, her day had officially been ruined.

" We've got a mission," He elaborated plainly.

Karin opened her mouth, aghast. " What, are you kidding me? I just went on a mission yesterday!"

Suigetsu scoffed. " Oh please, I heard it wasn't anything crazy. What, did you have to return a wild bear to the zoo again or something?"

" Shut up!"

Suigetsu guffawed at her expense, clutching his stomach from the pain. " Wow, what a real scary shinobi, going on real scary missions!"

" I said, shut up!" Karin lunged at him again, this time her punch connecting with his jaw. She snickered at Suigetsu's pained expression. " That's what you get for acting like you're all high and mighty!"

" Enough you two," Jugo's calm voice joined them, and Karin turned around to face him.

He was perched on her windowsill like the birds he liked so much. He wore a tired expression on his face, and Karin could tell that he was close to becoming fed up with their antics.

" We have a mission to get to," He repeated Suigetsu's words.

Karin raised an eyebrow. " It's been awhile since we've all been sent on a mission together. Is Sasuke going to be joining us?"

Suigetsu gave her a nasty grin. " Why? Is someone expecting to jump his bones if he is?"

" You shut up!" She shouted, waving her fist in the air again.

" I said cut it out, you two!" Jugo exclaimed exasperatedly. " Sasuke-san will meet us at the Konohagakure entrance at eleven A.M. sharp. It's best if you get ready Karin."

Karin wrinkled her nose in distaste, but she knew better not to get Jugo aggravated.

Her two teammates left her room silently, Jugo dragging Suigetsu away as he shot Karin another immature look with his tongue out and finger pointed up.

Karin shot back and equally unappealing look before heading to her bathroom to undress and freshen up. Yet when she took off her clothes, she was taken aback by her reflection in the mirror. She winced, noticing the reddish-blue marks on her breasts, thighs, and hips. Some of them hurt to touch, and she sighed at the thought of Sasuke marring her skin further. She hated when he left marks sometimes. It's like he didn't care about her well-being at all.

Karin turned the knobs of the shower, and soon the room became filled with steam.

She stared at her reflection at the mirror.

 _I could almost pity you,_ She thought to herself.

When hadn't she been used by a man? She wondered numbly.

Karin looked away from the crimson eyes staring back at her weakly.

Sasuke made her weak. Made her feel weak everywhere. On her body, in her heart; Karin wondered numbly if this was what love was like.

The mirror fogged, and Karin looked away again before entering the shower.

She hoped the mission would be done quickly.

* * *

Tranquility.

That was all Sasuke desired at that very moment.

Despite his non-conforming features, Sasuke Uchiha was having a bad week.

Sure, he went on a mission and became reunited with his brother, (albeit he didn't share more than a few words with him at a time,) but it did little to improve his mood for the entire week. Everywhere he went, it was Sakura this, Sakura that. Former teammates, his former sensei, even people he barely spoke to thought it was appropriate to discuss his personal life with him. He could understand Kakashi poking fun at him, and he even could tolerate Naruto's annoying jest, but when people like Kiba Inuzuka came up to him, trying to make _conversation_ of the whole debacle, well, that didn't exactly sit right with him.

He had taken his frustration out on Karin, and even though he had been satisfied sexually, the bothersome feeling still clung onto him like a stubborn pest.

So Sasuke had no other choice but to make a routine visit to the training grounds.

He liked the fact that the training grounds beyond the Uchiha residence was vast amongst heavy forestation and natural amenities. The fields were a huge expanse, already set up with targets and dummies for practice. He used to follow his older brother here when he was a child to watch him train sometimes, his brother's talent and skill amazing him instantly. Now, he was more than a match for Itachi, but secretly, Sasuke still felt giddy when he saw his brother in battle. He was a formidable shinobi, and the one person he looked up to, if he looked up to anyone at all.

Even as an academy student and Genin, he would come here to practice, the image of his brother's training burned in his mind. He climbed up trees with speed and hit the target every time he threw a kunai or shuriken. Even if he was alone and hadn't managed to coax Naruto into sparring him, he still had peace of mind whenever he came here.

The training grounds were his sanctuary.

But not right now, apparently.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed slightly at the faint sound of two kunais clashing against each other, the metal meeting metal every three seconds. He pinpointed the location of the chakra he felt, and he deduced that approximately twenty meters from him, two shinobi had already came to battle. With his sharingan, he was able to identify the chakra before him as his brother's...and Sakura?

He moved closer, perplexed.

Why were they sparring each other?

And how long had they been sparring?

From the looks of it, Sakura was running on pure adrenaline, her eyes determined and her movements intentional. She guarded herself expertly, and despite his brother keeping on a mask of disinterest, he could see that Itachi was pleased by her actions.

Sasuke knew that Sakura was a fine kunoichi, and he was aware that she could hold her own in battle. But that didn't stop him from wondering how long Itachi was willing to mess around with her. Itachi could corner Sakura in an instant, he was certain they all knew that.

But why wasn't he doing it?

Despite his better judgement, Sasuke continued to approach the two, not caring if they noticed his presence.  
He had several questions running through his mind.

Why were they together?

Why were they sparring?

Didn't Sakura have work at the hospital?

 _When had they become acquainted?_

Ah yes. Itachi had mentioned that he saw the pinkette in his bed briefly the day he had returned. But how far along had they come from that moment to go from an awkward encounter to agreeing to spend time with one another to spar?

Itachi hadn't given _him_ the light of day when he was weak.

So what made Sakura so special?

" I didn't know you two were friends," The words slipped out of his mouth harshly, and the two shinobi paused their fight, separating.

Sakura rolled her jade eyes, using the interruptance as an opportunity to catch her breath. She wiped the blood off the corner of her lip, which was bleeding slightly from a kick Itachi had delivered to her face.

Sasuke stared at his brother expectantly, looking for an answer.

" What does it look like Sasuke? We're training." Itachi replied. " You interrupted us."

" Why are you training with _her_?" Sasuke blurted out snidely. " If you wanted to train with someone, you should have picked someone with skill, Itachi."

Sakura scoffed at his comment, her eyes widening angrily. She opened her mouth to retort, but Itachi beat her to it.

" Sasuke, like I said, we're busy at the moment," Itachi reminded him.

" Why?" Sasuke inquired dubiously. " What does she have that any other shinobi doesn't?"

Here Sakura was again, ruining his day.

This time, she had even managed to get his brother roped up into her annoying antics.

" Oh my fucking god Sasuke, have you ever thought of minding your own business?" Sakura shouted. " This doesn't concern you."

" It does concern me," Sasuke replied stubbornly, refusing to break his gaze away from Itachi. " These are the Uchiha training grounds. This is part of my family's land. Therefore, I have a right to know everything that goes on here."

Sakura scoffed again, bewildered by the fact that Sasuke was so petty to use that as a reason for his argument. Clearly, he was looking for a fight.

Sakura gritted her teeth.

If Sasuke said one more thing-

" Sasuke. We are training together. Sakura is an excellent kunoichi, you of all people should know that. She is a capable ninja, and she is skilled in ways that you are not." Itachi came to her defense, her charcoal eyes becoming stern with his younger brother.

Sasuke furrowed his brow angrily and his mouth contorted, ready to give another gruesome response when he felt an immense pain emanate from his cheek.

He turned his head slightly as he flew back a few feet from the impact, stunned by the indignant woman before him, her arm outstretched and a mere few inches from his face. He wasn't sure if he had imagined it, but he swore that he saw a few tears streaming from her face.

Sakura had punched him, he had realized dully.

And it had actually hurt. It hurt a little bit.

She turned away as he landed on his feet a few meters away, and darted south, her pink hair disappearing within green.

Had he pushed her over the edge?

Maybe.

Would he apologize?

Being Sasuke Uchiha, he most definitely wouldn't.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for all the kind words and messages! It really motivates me when I read that readers have thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated my work, and I intend to finish this story through then end :) 

Thank you all again~


	7. Chapter 7

**I need a (Wo)man**

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how…

* * *

 **Chapter Seven  
**  
Sakura knew that fleeing was a rash decision.

Even though she knew that she wasn't necessarily in the wrong, Sakura couldn't help but feel like a criminal. She had punched Sasuke square in the face, and while her action was a sign of power and blatantly informed her former lover that she didn't give a single fuck about his ego, she had immediately canceled out the emphasis of the action by running away.

Sakura knew that Sasuke wasn't going to come tailing after her though. It would be beneath him to trail her and deliver a blow in retribution. Besides, if he did, Sakura was more than willing to commence a fight with him. She wanted to beat the irritating, smirking, egotistical bastard to a bloody pulp! She would shove her fist in his face over and over again, and she would even beat up Itachi too if he dared to interfere with her disfiguring of his beloved younger brother's face. By the time she would be done with him, she would have to escort him to the hospital herself and put him in a full body bind!

Sakura smirked at the thought, a maniacal grin spread widely on her face.

She clenched her fists excitedly and sat on a large rock parallel to the creek beside her. She had dashed here to cool her face, and the faint quacks of the little ducklings in the water assisted in calming her. She wasn't aware how long she had been sitting here, furious and vengeful, but she was certain that today's training session with Itachi was over.

" He is gone."

Sakura didn't so much as move a muscle when she heard Itachi's voice this time. Truly, she had grown accustomed to his shadowy behaviors, so she was no longer surprised by his sudden appearances. It was what made Itachi..Itachi.

Sakura scoffed in reply, slightly bewildered by the elder Uchiha's appearance.

She was certain it was beyond one now. What was he still doing here?

" I would apologize on his behalf, his words were cruel and senseless, not to mention unnecessary," Itachi began. " But I trust you already knew that, and you know how he is."

That she did.

" You stood up for yourself, I don't blame you. I admire you, actually," Itachi admitted slowly.

" W-What?" Sakura sputtered at the unexpected confession.

What exactly was Itachi telling her right now? What did he mean by that? Why did it sound so weird? Why was Itachi being so weird?

" It's true," Itachi confirmed. " Not everyone has the gall to punch my brother, beyond Naruto and myself. Not only that, you really left an impact on him."

Sakura's ears perked up at the new tidbit of information. " How?"

She was curious, especially since she hadn't stuck around the training grounds long enough to discern his reaction. If Sasuke had actually let a little fury slip, well, Sakura wouldn't deny herself the satisfaction.

" He was shocked, to say the least. Angry, even. For a moment he looked like he wanted to go after you, but he hung back and his teammates for his mission came and he left with them."

Sakura's lips were lopsided. So he had, even for a moment, considered her enough of an adversary to go after. Either that, or Sasuke Uchiha had some semblance of a remorseful bone in his body.

 _Doubtful,_ Sakura thought to herself.

He was the man that had unashamedly used her out of convenience and offered a very unpretentious apology for it, after all.

Itachi sat down beside her, startling the pinkette further. His long legs dangled off the rock, and even though there was a visible space between them, Sakura couldn't help but become acutely aware of the distance between them.

"...I am aware that my brother has not treated you well," Itachi began.

 _That's a shocker,_ Sakura thought sardonically.

" ...He told you?"

The elder Uchiha shook his head. " I could tell right away from the moment I returned that not everything is alright between you two."

Sakura cringed at the thought of everyone in the village gaining the same knowledge Itachi had about the two. It had become a widespread rumour that she and the younger Uchiha had split ways, but the very thought that their dislike for one another was so obvious irked her. Breaking up in the way they had seemed immature to Sakura. They were adults, they shouldn't be playing this game.

She wouldn't take back the moment she punched him though.

Not for a second.

" I know my brother is not well just from being around him," Itachi added. " That's why I approached you, perhaps you knew something regarding what was troubling him,"

" I don't know a thing," Sakura insisted. " I mean we just broke up, and I barely saw him. He barely spoke to me for me to gain any real knowledge about him besides what he likes to eat for dinner."

That part was true.

Sasuke always had a ubiquitous mask of displeasure on his face. He could be beaming inwardly and Sakura would not have known. So if he had been acting grouchy, Sakura had no way of knowing what the reason could be. Maybe, just maybe it could be her? The thought occurred to her, but she quickly dismissed it. The way Sasuke had basically renounced her in the examination room...well that said enough about what he felt of their "relationship", right?

" He seemed very unhinged after you left the household," Itachi watched the girl carefully, gauging her reaction.

" Is that so?" Sakura appeared unfazed by his words, but inwardly, she was smirking gleefully at the thought of the younger Uchiha miserable following her exit.

" He was quite cumbersome and depressing," Itachi continued.

Sakura smirked, although the look on her face indicated that she was anything but smug. " Naruto would say that he was always like that. He was all depressing and moody."

" I guess that would be my fault," Itachi replied. " When Sasuke was a child he was actually quite happy. After he became the sole Uchiha in the village, his tears only bolstered his reasoning to locate me."

Sakura didn't say anything, recalling how she had unsuccessfully attempted to convince the younger Uchiha to stay in Konohagakure ten years ago. He had been at his wit's end, and despite the distance of time, she remembered the day clearly as if it was yesterday.

" You're not useless though," Itachi said, returning to the beginning of the conversation.

Sakura sucked in her breath, not keen on hearing condolences.

Seriously, she was getting tired of everyone apologizing to her or offering her sympathy because of Naruto and Sasuke. She knew she wasn't useless! She was probably contributing more to the welfare of the villagers than the two of them combined. Who cares if Naruto saved the village a couple times from mass destruction? And what did it matter that Sasuke protected the village from the outskirts? He caused more mayhem than mirth.

" I know you are aware of it, but there is something truly unique about you, Sakura Haruno. My brother was a fool to have let you go."

 _Huh? Since when did Uchiha's stick up for anyone else besides themselves?_

Sakura glanced at the elder Uchiha, trying to decipher the meaning behind his blunt yet strangely comforting words. Not only was him consoling her uncharacteristic, the extra effort to repeat her value just straight up threw her for a loop. If Sakura was being honest, all of their interactions after his return were..odd. The more she saw him, the weirder she felt.

" Do you mean that?" Sakura asked wryly. " Or are you just saying that to make me feel better about Sasuke using me and tossing me out like the trash?"

It was after all, in Uchiha practice to always protect your clan's best interests. After witnessing Itachi's odd behavior, she actually wouldn't have been surprised if he just told her that he was telling her that to make up for Sasuke's actions.

Itachi turned, staring at the pinkette peculiarly. His lips parted, uttering the confirmation.

" Yes. I do."

* * *

It was rather vexing.

Sasuke and his team had returned from the three day mission in merely a day and a half. While it did seem dangerous when the Hokage had presented it to him, Sasuke didn't have the patience to trek with his team for three whole days. He had done it when they had been together as Team Taka, but Suigetsu and Karin's banter was getting on his nerves this time around. Surprisingly, the younger Uchiha wanted to do nothing more but to go home. He had been going on multiple missions back to back, and despite him being in peak condition, all Sasuke longed for was a day to himself.

When they had arrived home, Sasuke had decided that he would spend the next few days sleeping in and eating tomatoes to his heart's content. It was a simple desire, but a desire nonetheless.

Yet when he returned to the compound, he was greeted with the irksome sight of pink hair and green chakra glowing in the distance.

His brother was beside the pinkette, sitting on a rock comfortably with his forearms crossed loosely, staring at her luminous hands. The pair hadn't noticed him, or rather, didn't bother to make notice of him.

Sasuke bit his cheek.

It wasn't like he was out of their line of vision. They weren't in the same spot they had been when he last saw them together, but rather they had made themselves acquainted with the fields merely twenty five feet away from the Uchiha compound.

Shouldn't his elder brother greet him home?

Why was he still lollygagging with troublesome Sakura?

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows and entered the compound in a huff, making sure to slam the door as loud as he could.

This was the third time that they were together. Or rather, the third time that he had been made aware of. Sasuke wondered if they scurried like rodents behind his back to meet, although he couldn't fathom Itachi's reasoning for doing that. Sakura was a lovesick woman. Just as she had squealed over him in their academy and genin days, he was certain that she was doing the same to Itachi. He _had_ broken her heart recently.

Sasuke shuffled to his room to change, intensely trying to figure out the reason for their companionship.

Was Sakura trying to shove her way into his heart by using Itachi?

That made sense. That way, after fabricating a friendship with her brother, she could once again have access to the Uchiha compound and harass him to her heart's content. If that wasn't her motive, maybe she thought that he would get jealous of the time they spent together?

 _Ha.  
_  
As if he would get jealous.

The pinkette sure did resort to the most pathetic options when it came to vengence.

Sasuke entered the bathroom, opting to take a shower before he went to sleep. He wiped the back of his hand along his mouth, and became annoyed at the slightly raised bump on the corner. The foes he had faced on his mission were few, and he quietly took them all out on his own without even needing the help of his teammates. None of them had been skilled to land a hit on him, so why was he bruised?

 _Ah._ It had been from Sakura.

She had punched him in the face after he had evaluated her abilities. She hadn't liked it, so she took her anger out on him like a child. Sasuke thought of being petty momentarily by approaching Sakura once again, to stir her emotions, but he dismissed the idea. She was weak, she wasn't worth his time, nor effort.

Just as he was about to step into the shower, he heard Sakura's voice, high pitch in the distance.

" Bye Itachi-san! See you tomorrow!~"

Sasuke didn't know why, but the high pitch in her tone irked him. She sounded happy, excited even, to see his brother. She had only sounded that way when she was with him.

Wait, what did she mean by 'see you tomorrow'?

Since when was his brother and Sakura so close?

Why were they in the training grounds together?

Had they been assigned to some sort of team?

Why did she sound so happy?

Why were they meeting so frequently?

Angrily, Sasuke shoved the shower curtain to one side as he stepped in.

He didn't know what was going on anymore, and that irritated him immensely. He scrubbed his body harshly, resolving to find out what exactly was going on by sundown.

* * *

It was just twenty minutes shy of sunset, and Kakashi couldn't wait to head home.

Every day usually was long and treacherous as Hokage, with the constant flurry of the townspeople coming in to voice their complaints, as well as a mix of ninja coming in looking for missions to partake in. Not to mention the perpetual amount of paperwork that threatened to topple over his desk at any given moment. After filling in the position of Hokage himself, Kakashi rightfully warned Naruto of the pains that came along with the title. It wasn't something that he wanted to do for several years.

Today however, had been slightly more pleasant.

Many ninja were in the midst of missions, and he saw few returning teams. Villagers had few complaints, and for some reason, even the paperwork had seemed small in comparison to the stacks he usually went through. He hadn't taken the opportunity to minimize the amount of work he had though. Instead of toiling away on his papers, Kakashi had decided to spend four hours of his day taking a nap on his chair. No one had come in, after all. So things were good and nothing required his attention.

Just as Kakashi was ready to get up and leave the office, he felt the familiar presence of his former pupil.

The copy ninja let out a sigh, knowing that he wouldn't be home in twenty minutes now.

" I expected you to be on that mission still, Sasuke," He drawled, closing his eyes.

" It was easy. It didn't require me to stay there for another day and a half." Came the curt reply.

Kakashi slowly opened his eyes, staring plainly at the formidable ninja before him. " Your team didn't come earlier to report it,"

" I had other duties," Sasuke replied. " I will return again tomorrow with the rest of them to verify the mission has been completed."

" Very well then," Kakashi agreed. " Is that all?"

" What have you made my brother do?"

The sudden question perplexed the sixth Hokage. He furrowed his brow quizzically at his former student's harsh and biting tone.

He didn't think that teaching medical ninjutsu was a sin. In fact, the elder Uchiha seemed delighted to be taught and take on the role as teacher soon.

" What do you mean?" He asked.

" I've noticed him on the training grounds, sparring with Sakura."

 _Ah._

Although Kakashi was busy fulfilling his duties as sixth Hokage, he was still aware of the tension between his former students. Normally, the tension was on the rise between Naruto and Sasuke, but now it seemed the tables have turned. He was aware that the two had been living together, but he didn't meddle much. He had also learned that Sakura had recently moved out, but the two of them had remained cool and professional when they entered his office, focused on missions and projects at hand rather than romanticisms. He hadn't thought that there was any bad blood between the two, but the way Sasuke had barged into his office looking practically venomous, Kakashi realized that things were not amicable between them.

" What have you made my brother do?" Sasuke repeated, his agitation apparent.

Kakashi sat back, amused. " I didn't think you would be so outraged at the idea of your brother training, Sasuke."

" That's not what I'm worried about," The younger Uchiha retorted.

" Ah, then what are you worried about?" Kakashi gave him a wry smile. " Is it that he is training with Sakura?"

Sasuke glared at his former teacher, lips pressed tightly. " Doesn't she have duties at the hospital?"

Kakashi nodded. " I gave her some time to off to train with Itachi."

" Why?" Sasuke demanded. " She is not competent nor of my brother's caliber. You're just wasting their time by pairing them up together. Why are they together anyway? Have you created some sort of team?"

Kakashi looked up at the ceiling. " You could say that. But they'll only be together for two weeks."

" Why two weeks?"

Kakashi made eye contact with Sasuke. " You see Sasuke, many on the council have suggested that we implement medical ninjutsu as a requirement for all ninja. There aren't really any negative outcomes of shinobi becoming more knowledgeable in this field, and you and I both know that Sakura is the most efficient medical-nin in all of the five nations."

" So you're making Itachi learn Medical Ninjutsu?" Sasuke asked incredulously. " Are you planning on sending him on missions?"

" Maybe," Kakashi admitted. " But that won't be anytime soon. For now, we thought it best to teach him and then help him implement the requirement amongst ninja for now. It hasn't been a week since he's returned, after all."

" How long is this supposed to go on?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi shrugged. " For about two weeks. Sakura will return to the hospital then and Itachi will be fulfilling his new duties."

"Hn." Sasuke's face returned to the expressionless mask Kakashi was used to.

" What, don't tell me that you want Sakura to teach you too?" The sixth Hokage couldn't help but jest.

Sasuke glared at his former teacher before wordlessly leaving the office.

Kakashi laughed awkwardly. Man was his former student scary when he was angry.

He stood up, glancing at the now darkened cityscape out the window.

Damn.

He didn't know what was going between his former students, and frankly, he really didn't care.

Besides, if he didn't hurry, he would be late to the premiere of his favorite book turned movie, _Icha Icha Paradise._


	8. Chapter 8

**I need a (Wo)man**

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how…

 **Chapter Eight**

* * *

If Sasuke had been annoyed by her presence, Sakura had become furious with his.

In an odd yet infuriating twist of events, Sasuke seemed to be around her more than he ever had in the entirety of their acquaintanceship. Whenever she went to the square, whenever she went to an event, he always seemed to lurk in the background. Of course, Sasuke had the excuse of being invited as well, but this was the first time anyone had ever seen him attend these things. She could feel his presence every time she trained with Itachi, whether he cared to mask his chakra or not.

More than once, like an impatient child, Sasuke had approached them when they were deep in conversation. He always asked Itachi the most mundane things, and he always made it a point to ignore Sakura and leave with a huff. If she hadn't been the target of Sasuke's passive aggressive behavior, Sakura would have almost found his actions cute.

It had been a little over a week since she and Itachi had commenced training with one another, and to her despair, it seemed Sasuke was intent on making more and more appearances.

" Wait, so Sasuke is following you now?" Tenten asked in a bewildered tone.

" No, it's nothing like that, or I don't think it is," Sakura replied, sipping the strawberry smoothie Ino had made for her.

" Yeah right, Sak!" The aforementioned blonde let out a scoff of disbelief. " He's never seen in any of the meetings nor events, and all of a sudden he feels human enough to go to a charity ball?"

" I agree, that is kind of strange," Hinata agreed softly. "Sasuke-kun normally doesn't go to these events."

It had been another girl's night, and after an early evening showing of a romantic play, the girls had all returned to the apartment with Hinata in tow to whip up a gourmet dinner before sitting down in the living room to watch the premiere of _The Kunoichi_ , a new series about a capable kunoichi with awesome strength and a calculating mind. The girls teased that the protagonist was modeled after Sakura herself, especially since the heroine donned pink hair and was named Cherry. How convincing.

" Hey Ino, this smoothie is pretty good," Sakura complimented, swirling the fruity concoction with her straw.

Ino grinned maniacally. " It should; I put my blood, sweat, and tears into it."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Never mind Sasuke, all her friends were strange.

" But seriously though, how is training with Itachi going?" Tenten asked, unloading containers of stiff pasta in a simmering pot of boiling water.

" It's good, but, like I said, Sasuke has made it his mission to become the killjoy," Sakura hung her head, depressed at the thought of dealing with his behavior again tomorrow.

Ino patted her back, but it felt slightly more harsh. " There There,"

" Ino stop, that hurts," Sakura whined, slapping Ino back on the arm.

" Ouch! I'm hurting you, more like you're hurting me! You're the one with the brute strength, forehead!"

Sakura scrunched up her nose in distaste. " I'm honestly a bit relieved that training is going to end in a few days, but I'm sad at the same time,"

" You've gotten closer to Itachi-san, haven't you?" Hinata smiled knowingly.

Sakura shrugged in admission. " He's actually really charming."

" I could have told you that!" Ino exclaimed. " Itachi Uchiha is such a dreamboat!"

Tenten whacked Ino on the head with a wooden spoon. " Shut up Pig! I thought you had all the feels for Sai?"

" Ow! What the hell Tenten!"

" You know, just because your training with Itachi ends soon doesn't mean your friendship has to," Hinata advised. " You guys can still meet and hang out after,"

" That's if he wants to be friends with me," Sakura mumbled into her smoothie.

Hinata smiled confidently at her pink-haired friend. " I'm sure he will."

* * *

It was eleven A.M., and Itachi still hadn't arrived at the training grounds.

Sakura huffed, annoyed at the lack of the elder Uchiha's presence. She herself, had gotten to the training grounds a half an hour late, but that was because she had slept in after watching _The Kunoichi_ on demand. The plot was so interesting, and suspiciously familiar. Her friends had continued to torment her with their coos and knowing looks whenever something happened between Cherry and Yosuke, the stoic shinobi who everyone was pretty sure was her counterpart. They had called lights out at four A.M., and Sakura still felt a little groggy as she entered the grounds.

She had expected Itachi to be waiting for her patiently, and she was ready to blurt out her reason in a muffled sigh, when she realized that she was alone in the field.

She had been perplexed, but she had ultimately decided to wait for the elder Uchiha to make an appearance. Maybe he too, slept in after watching _The Kunoichi_. Sakura giggled at the thought of Itachi being a secret fan of dramas, slurping ramen or eating shrimp crackers while avidly watching what happened next.

She waited for an hour. Then two.

Before she knew it, it was only an hour shy of when they usually ended.

 _" Haruno-san, I must request something," Itachi turned towards the pink-haired kunoichi, adjusting his robe and covering his shirtless form._

 _" Huh?" Sakura looked up, her gaze floating from his muscles to his face._

 _Her cheeks were tinged a rosy shade, and her jade orbs darted, embarrassed._

 _" One of these days, I might not make it to training," Itachi began._

 _" W-What do you mean, you might not make it?" Alarm flooded her eyes._

 _" It's nothing to worry about," Itachi assured her. " All I'm asking is, whether it be today or tomorrow, please collect me from my home."_

 _" The compound? Why?" Sakura looked perplexed._

 _Itachi chuckled at her dumbfounded expression. " Don't worry about that, just come get me if I am enormously late."_

Ah.

It must have been for today.

 _Alright,_ Sakura thought to herself. _All you gotta do is go to the Uchiha compound and wake Itachi up or something.  
_  
Although the task seemed simple enough, Sakura dreaded the thought of returning to her former home. It held a lot of memories, and she was nervous in case Sasuke had decided to come back home early from a mission again.

Sakura walked across the fields slowly, biting her lip.

She approached the front door of the Uchiha compound, lifting a fist up to knock.

If anyone had been passing by, no one would have believed that she had been a resident there for the past six months. The house seemed foreboding and unwelcoming, and towered over her like a hungry giant, ready to suck her in.

Sakura shook her head, dispelling the absurd thoughts.

A light breeze came, and the sturdy wooden door creaked open, inviting her in menacingly.

Sakura glanced around before slipping inside. Why did the entrance of the house make her feel so much like a thief?

Why were the doors unlocked anyways?

Sakura removed her sandals at the front, and her footsteps creaked as she tread lightly on the hardwood floors.

 _Itachi definitely is home,_ she thought.

He had to be, right?

Sakura imagined the worst, either a killer that had laid out a trap for her, or worse, Sasuke bombarding her and delivering her to the police station and claiming she was trespassing. Both situations sounded pretty bad.

Sakura shuffled her way down the hall, ears sharp and ready to detect so much as a mouse. She didn't sense Itachi's chakra, and she didn't know which room the elder Uchiha had selected to be his. Sakura opened a room, then another one, then another one. She made her way around the compound, dashing past the room she and Sasuke had shared.

Sakura hesitantly opened the sliding door to the final bedroom in the compound, and she let out a sigh of relief once she spotted a head full of dark hair.

She still had to wake him up though.

Sakura approached the bed, and cracked a smile at the sight of a sleeping Itachi.

He looked so peaceful.

She furrowed her brow, wondering what had made him stay in bed instead of training with her. She herself could have been sleeping in! God knew she needed it.

Sakura leaned down towards the man, and tapped him gently.

He didn't seem to budge, so Sakura gradually increased the force in her taps.

Itachi's brows furrowed, but instead of peeling his eyes open like Sakura had hoped, the elder Uchiha merely twisted and laid outstretched on the bed, exposing his half-naked form.

Sakura felt her face becoming warm, and she felt her anxiety rise.

" I-Itachi-san, You missed most of training, and I came here to get you, just like you told me," Sakura sputtered, inwardly scolding herself for trying to explain herself to an obviously unconscious man.

Abruptly, Sakura heard the door slam out front and she slyly made her way to the entrance of the bedroom, sliding it open and warily peeking outside to see if anyone had come.

She hadn't detected anyone's chakra, and if it was a skilled shinobi, they knew how to remain undetected.

Or it could have been the wind.

When she heard nothing for several more moments, she returned to Itachi's bedside, deciding to try one more time to wake the elder Uchiha up before hightailing it out of there.

Instead, Sakura found herself toppling over Itachi's forehead protector, which had been left on the floor.

She gasped slightly as she fell forward, her arms that had been intending to grip on the bed sheets wrapped firmly around his toned arms. Her chest were a few inches away from his face, and one of her legs were divided down the middle between his.

 _Crap,_ Sakura thought.

If Itachi woke up to the sight of her on top of him, she wouldn't know how he'd react. He'd probably shove her off of him, and while he may pretend to accept her apology, inwardly call her a pervert and refuse to make contact with her again.

Sakura's lips dipped down, and she grinded her teeth together, wondering what to do.

She could attempt to remove her hands, which had slid underneath him gently, and return to her former position standing beside him to act like nothing happened. He didn't seem to wake from her clumsy fall so-

" Well this is a sight that I'm not used to seeing," Itachi's voice sounded smooth and slightly amused.

" I-I can explain!" Sakura exclaimed in a flustered tone. " You see, I came here after you weren't showing up and I tried waking you up a couple times, but you wouldn't wake up, and then I heard the door slam so I went to see if anyone had come in, and then I tripped without seeing your forehead protector on the floor and-"

Itachi held up a hand. " It's fine, Haruno-san. I completely understand."

Sakura got up from the bed with a flourish and darted towards the door. " I-I'm so sorry!"

Sakura dashed out the room and ran around the compound, not caring about how much noise she was making. She spotted her sandals by the door, and she hurriedly put them on. She would head home, for now. Itachi would see her tomorrow morning, there was no use training today anyways.

Sakura stood up and opened the door swiftly, glancing back to see if Itachi had left his room, not realizing that she had just banged her head against a hard surface.

" Ugh!" Sakura groaned and rubbed her head.

What the hell was that?

She opened her eyes, and they instantly widened at the site of a very, very angry Sasuke Uchiha.

" God, you can't see where you're going? No wonder you're a weak ninja," Sasuke bit out, his coal eyes formed into slits. " What are you doing in my house anyway?"

Sakura opened her mouth, fully intent on giving the younger Uchiha a thorough tongue lashing when she heard footsteps behind her getting closer.

She turned, only to see the elder Uchiha joining them, still wearing nothing but pants.

" I-I gotta go!" Sakura exclaimed, weaving her way around Sasuke before scurrying off.

Sakura ran swiftly, and before she knew it, she was out of breath in front of her apartment.

" I'm home," She muttered out tiredly, slipping her shoes off before heading to her room.

" Ah, Sakura, you're awake!" Hinata exclaimed, catching sight of the pinkette from the kitchen. ' How was training with Itachi?"

Sakura raised her hand and waved it. " You don't even want to know."

* * *

A/N: I know this is a short chapter in comparison to my most recent updates, but I felt like this was an appropriate place to end chapter Eight. Chapter nine will be coming soon! Drop a review if you enjoyed the development so far!


	9. Chapter 9

**I need a (Wo)man**

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how…

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

While there had been some unexpected outcomes, Sakura had to admit that she actually enjoyed the two weeks she had spent training and teaching Itachi medical ninjutsu. Despite Sasuke's frequent verbal barbs and meddling, she had stuck to her goal, and by the final day, she could proudly tell Kakashi that Itachi had learned, and was quite competent, when it came to medical ninjutsu.

If Sakura was being honest to herself though, she was a little sad.

She had, at the very least, made a friend out of Itachi Uchiha, and she was uncertain when their paths would cross again. She had duties at the hospital waiting for her, and he would begin teaching and passing on the newfound knowledge soon enough. Unless they were both assigned on another project or mission, there was no way that they could see each other, and the prospect of that happening again seemed very unlikely.

She could always ask him to hang out with her, but after she had witnessed him semi-nude, Sakura was too tongue-tied to even exchange any words that were informal. The following sessions after that day had been professional and very cut. Of course, this was due to her behavior, but she just didn't know how to come across comfortably anymore. She was after all a woman, and Itachi was a man. Not to mention she was still an innocent one..

" I'm glad to hear training went well," The sixth Hokage said, bringing Sakura back to the present. " Were things difficult for you, Itachi?"

The two of them had reported to the Hokage's office after they had finished their last session, the walk there being awkward and rather stiff for Sakura. She wanted to make small talk like how she usually did, but every time she turned towards Itachi, she was reminded of how she had discovered him at his most vulnerable and she clammed up again.

She knew that the elder Uchiha felt her restlessness, how could he not? Her personality had changed dramatically after that one encounter. Yet he chose not to comment on it and merely adjusted to her mood. She supposed that she should be grateful for that. Most people would want to bring the occurrence up, weather to question or to make fun. Sakura was grateful that Itachi opted for neither, but she also wished that he would make some conversation with her.

" Not at all," Itachi replied. " Haruno-san is a very talented teacher. She has taught me many things that I had otherwise been ignorant of."

Sakura grinned awkwardly at the compliment.

Here he went again with his blunt yet kind words.

Kakashi laughed. " Well, that's good to hear. Now-"

" I-Itachi-san too, was a very good student!"

The words slipped out of her mouth quickly, and her eyes widened in shock, realizing that she had just interrupted the sixth Hokage to compliment Itachi's skills. He was always saying nice things about her. The least she could do was return the kind words, especially when it demonstrated how she felt.

"H-He learned medical ninjutsu rather quickly, and he was an excellent training partner. He not only learned what I taught him, but he utilized them immediately and expertly!"

What was she saying? Of course Itachi exceeded her expectations. He was a quick learner, and could adapt to any situation. Everyone in the village knew that he was a genius shinobi. Her words weren't going to lift him, this kind of praise was expected of him.

Sakura bit her lip at the silence that followed. Neither the Sixth Hokage nor Itachi were saying anything, and if possible, their silence made her feel even more embarrassed than when she had discovered the elder Uchiha semi-nude. Didn't they know how to talk? Kakashi, at the very least, could return to what he had been saying prior to her interruption, but instead her former sensei grinned at her charmingly, sensing her pain yet doing nothing about it.

" Thank you Haruno-san," Itachi said suddenly. " I appreciate your words."

" No problem," Sakura muttered under her breath, looking away from her former sensei's teasing eyes.

" Alright then, if there's nothing more to say, and if you two are satisfied with your compliments, you may leave," The sixth Hokage said. " I have lots of work to do."

The two bowed and left the office, Sakura hanging back and walking deliberately slow so that Itachi wouldn't be encouraged to talk to her.

Honestly, what was wrong with her?

First, she wanted Itachi to make conversation and set things straight between them, but now, all she wanted was for Itachi to disappear in the crowd and never speak to her again. Why did she even compliment him that way? He was going to think that she was just another fangirl of his.

" You seem to be in a very deep thought,"

Sakura jerked slightly at his voice. She glanced fleetingly at the elder Uchiha before staring at the road ahead.

" It wasn't anything serious," She assured curtly.

" Where are you headed? Another wedding?" Itachi asked her wryly, a knowing smirk playing at his lips.

Sakura laughed awkwardly. " No, of course not. Why would you say that?"

After the incident, she had seldomly stuck around after the clock struck twelve, always claiming that she had to go to the research department or go shopping for her friends for an upcoming wedding. Itachi hadn't questioned her excuses before, and despite her nervous mannerisms, she had been under the impression that he had accepted her lies. Apparently not.

" Ah, if not, then, would you mind spending some time with me?"

The pinkette glanced at the elder Uchiha, baffled by his sudden request. They had just spent four hours diligently training with one another. Why did he want to spend more time with her?

" Why?"

Itachi shrugged. " For that one day we were supposed to meet but you didn't show."

Oh, right.

She had forgotten about that. 

Itachi turned to her. " So? Are you available?"

" I-I guess so?" Sakura admitted slowly. 

" Let's go then."

* * *

Itachi had been wondering when he would get the opportunity to put the outing Sakura owed him to good use.

He was certain the reason why she hadn't met him that one night was because of Sasuke, and he hadn't troubled her with his presence the following day when she obviously upset. So when he had been informed that she would become his teacher in medical ninjutsu, Itachi was pleased. She seemed cheerier these days, and Itachi felt satisfied with himself knowing that their training sessions together had contributed to her bright mood.

Of course, the last few days had been curt and silent compared to their other sessions. He supposed that she felt awkward after seeing him exposed like that, and Itachi himself was uncertain regarding what to say to her. There had been a thin, yet hard sheet of ice that had formed between them, and Itachi knew that he had to be the one to break it before they parted ways.

He hadn't expected to enjoy the pinkette company so much, but she was wonderful all around. She truly didn't deserve the careless treatment she received from Sasuke. He had originally approached her hoping that she could inform him of his brother's behavior since he last saw him, but to his disappointment, Sasuke was as impulsive as ever. True, he was now considered a trusted shinobi of Konohagakure, but he still acted the same way, only this time, towards women.

Itachi himself had little experience with romance, but he was aware that Sakura shouldn't be feeling the way she did because of Sasuke.

" I didn't think you'd like dango," Sakura smiled softly, biting down on the soft anko dango they had purchased.

They ended up in a traditional japanese cafe, a place that Itachi frequented often in his spare time. They had gotten tea and plenty of dango, and to his delight, Sakura seemed to love the sweet treat as much as he did.

Sakura pointed the tri-colored hanami dango at him. " Here,"

Itachi wordlessly took the stick of dango, happy that Sakura didn't make too much fun of him.

People were always surprised when they saw him eat dango. Just because he was an Uchiha and he lived up to the name, people always painted him as someone who would only enjoy the blood and flesh of his enemies as a meal. The assumptions were equal parts amusing as they were ironic, he actually hated red meat.

" I didn't know that you come here," Sakura said, the awkwardness in her tone gone and replaced with simple mirth. " I like coming here too for a snack."

Itachi cracked a smile, they both had good taste it seemed.

" The tea is good too," Sakura added, taking a sip. " They feature a new one every day. I like the spiced teas and the floral teas the best."

" I as well," Itachi admitted, mimicking her actions and taking a gulp of hot tea. " Ah, Haruno-san, I forgot to mention, you left something at the compound when you last visited."

Sakura looked shocked. " I did?"

Itachi nodded. " An aquamarine-colored pendant was in my room once you left; is it yours?"

Realization dawned on the pinkette and she nodded. " Yes, that's mine. Actually, it was Hinata's. I was looking for it the other day."

" We can return to the compound," Itachi suggested, and Sakura nodded frantically.

" Yes, we should. Hinata was looking for it as well," She agreed, popping the last couple dango balls in her mouth and chugging her tea. " Can we go now?"

Itachi polished off his last stick of dango. " Of course."

* * *

It wasn't as if Sasuke was blind to the metamorphosis of Itachi's behavior.

Within two weeks, his usually stark-faced brother's demeanor had become more cheery, his sporadic smile no longer rare but preserved for specific reasons; a certain pink haired kunoichi being one of them.

Sasuke didn't want to admit it, but he counted down the days of their training painstakingly, occupying himself with missions and other duties in means of seeing the duo less and less. He had been relieved when Sakura seemed to begin to avoid Itachi, and Sasuke speculated that her latest entry in the Uchiha compound had something to do with it.

That had been a good week for him.

He had been able to spar with his brother more frequently, and he knew that Sakura wouldn't dare to make a second reappearance on the same day. Like clockwork, Sasuke could predict her arrival and her departure. Sometimes, he would wait in the fields, aimlessly darting kunai at simple targets while he waited for her. Once he detected her presence, he stopped what he was doing and glared at her, as if she had rudely interrupted his solo training. The pinkette always looked away in a huff, and Sasuke always had to steer himself accordingly to contain his glee within himself.

Perhaps he was being a sociopath by going out of his way to harass her, but he did _quite_ enjoy watching her squirm awkwardly because of him.

It was Monday, and Sasuke was pleased with the prospect of returning to Konoha, specifically the definite empty training grounds located by his home. It was still rather early to be returning to the village, barely two in the afternoon. The sun hung above the village hidden behind dark and gloomy clouds, casting a bleak mood. But Sasuke didn't let that affect him.

He couldn't wait to return to the training grounds and blow off the heads of the wooden and straw dummies. He had been waiting all week to let off some steam in peace, and now that Itachi's training had finished, he was guaranteed to be met with silence and no annoying pink-haired medical nin.

Although, they could have reconciled.

Sasuke frowned at the thought.

He didn't know what was going on between his brother and the pink-haired medic, whether it was friendship or something more, but Sasuke knew he didn't like it.

Just what had Sakura done to make his older brother so fond of her? Instead of admitting that he was superior in countless ways, he uplifted her and encouraged her as a fellow shinobi. Sasuke's eyes darted to the ground, his steps slowing as he recalled how he treated his former teammate.

He really did treat her bad, didn't he?

He had led her on, not accepting her tokens of endearment but not refusing them either. He ate the lunches she made for him, and he expressed his gratitude in some forms without physical interaction. Sometimes he would leave her notes, or express his appreciation through words. He rarely did that with anyone, his brother being the only other person seeing him in that way.

But that didn't matter.

He blindly continued, accepting her obvious love but not reciprocating it. Of course she was livid when he had told her that he no longer wanted her to be with him.

How many times did Sakura tell him that she loved him?

How many times did he just walk away?

True, Sakura had been the first, and in his mind, the only option for a clan revival. And, she had to know that strengthening the Uchiha household was important to him.

But in order to continue down that path, Sasuke realized that she needed love.

After spending countless years pining for him, they had finally been living under one roof. Moving in together was something that couples did. He had always been impassive and had a habit of guarding his feelings, but he couldn't take it anymore.

Sakura was so innocent and so kind, did he even deserve a woman like her?

There were so many shinobi that sought her out, so many capable people willing to be her partner. She had so much potential early on, and she had blossomed into a beautiful woman. Just what did he bring to the table?

He was one of the strongest shinobi, yeah, so what? Everybody either hated him or barely accepted him because of his past actions, with the exclusion of Team 7. He was a former rogue-nin, someone who posed a huge threat to the rest of the world.

Why would she want to be chained to a person like that?

She deserved better.

And Sasuke wasn't even certain what he felt was love.

He knew that he respected his former teammate, and he appreciated her kindness, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her that he loved her.

He knew that his actions with Karin further made things difficult for him. He wanted Sakura more than anything, but he could never bring himself to touch her. He caressed her only when she was unaware, and even then, he didn't dare touch her in her most intimate areas.

The only other woman he could barely trust was Karin, and through her blind love and naivety, he had used her too.

But she was fine with that.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He really was an asshole. But why couldn't he stop? He knew it was bad.

He knew that if Sakura ever found out about his late night meetings with Karin it would tear her apart.

Just because Karin was aware of her didn't mean that everything was fine.

A drop of wetness fell on his forehead, breaking his thoughts.

Sasuke glanced up at the stormy clouds above. The sky looked particularly merciless, and he could hear the loud boom of thunder crackling, demanding everyone to leave. Townspeople scurried past him, and shop owner swiftly began to close, wanting to get indoors before the storm took a turn for the worse.  
Sasuke too, picked up the pace and glided over tall buildings, cutting through the trees following a shortcut to the outskirts of town.

His heart was filled with disappointment, because of the weather and because of himself.

He didn't know what he could do to make things right with Sakura, he didn't even know if he had the right to make things right with her. Itachi was giving her attention now, and she seemed happier than she had been with him.

Sasuke scowled at the thought of their developing friendship. He didn't love Sakura, but the thought of them together pecked at him like an annoying pest.

Did he even want to interfere?

Seeing the vast forestation up ahead, Sasuke relaxed at the thought of returning home. Maybe he couldn't have his solace in training today, but at the very least, he would be welcomed with silence upon returning to the compound.

He slid past the door, shuffling in the hallway to get to his room.

He paused at the bright light emanating from the kitchen.

Itachi rarely was seen in the kitchen. So why..?

Did he get a sudden urge to bake some cookies because of the gloomy weather?

Sasuke approached the kitchen, only to be stunned with the sight of his brother wearing an apron, dutifully following directions as he listened to the pinkette before him.

Sasuke couldn't utter a word.

The scene was both parts amusing as it was irritating.

" Oh, Sasuke, I didn't hear you walk in," Itachi acknowledged his presence.

Sakura glanced at him, and he held her gaze momentarily before tearing away to look at the floor.

Sakura turned away from him, busying herself with the simmering hot pot before her.

" We were just making dinner," Itachi supplied. " The storm came so suddenly, and it looks like it will be difficult to go home. Haruno-san is going to be staying the night."

" W-What? No, No, Itachi-san, it's completely ok for me to head home soon. I'm sure the storm will let up, and besides, I don't want any trouble," Sakura said rapidly.

" You saw the weather. It's completely terrible out there." Itachi argued logically. " Truly, it would be better if you stayed here."

" No, it's quite alright-"

" She can stay," Sasuke's voice sounded hollow, and he refused to meet Sakura's eyes.

Itachi smiled. " Are you going to eat dinner with us?"

Sasuke could smell the strong scent of tomatoes wafting in the air, and it took all his self-control not to agree. He was hungry and tired, and he knew that nothing would satisfy him more. He glanced at the pot.

Sakura had been making one of his favorite dishes.

His gaze softened.

" I'll eat later. I'm tired," He muttered.

He left the kitchen, inwardly scolding himself for having such a huge pride.

He knew that the bruised relationship with Sakura wasn't going to change in a night. It could take weeks, years even.

He knew that she didn't trust him.

He knew that she deserved better.

But, at the very least, maybe he could make things ok between them.

After all, she was one of his greatest friends, and Uchiha clan or no Uchiha clan, he would be damned to let everything go again.


	10. Chapter 10

**I need a (Wo)man**

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how…

 **Chapter Ten**

* * *

Certainly, one could say that Sasuke had definitely matured with his decision to make things right with Sakura, but more than two weeks had passed since he had discovered the scene of Sakura and Itachi cooking together in his kitchen.

Stirred awake by the smell of strongly brewed coffee and freshly baked bread, Sasuke had approached the kitchen the following morning, hungry and with purpose. He had forgoed eating last night, falling asleep and ultimately choosing to stay within the walls of his bedroom, no matter how much the tomato stew called out to him. His presence there would only serve to make the conversation awkward, and if he was being completely honest, he didn't know how to speak to Sakura at the moment without a barrage of insults dancing on his tongue. He groaned as he felt his stomach whine from hunger, and he contemplated waking before sunrise to have breakfast, an attempt to feed his greedy desires _and_ salvage his Uchiha pride.  
However, upon entering the kitchen, he had encountered his former housemate. Shocked and still, like a deer caught in the headlights.  
She had been at the end of corridor, adjusting the straps on the shoes on her feet. Apparently, she had an idea akin to Sasuke's, but instead of rising early to eat, she rose early to flee.

They stared at each other, Sakura's eyes conveying apprehension, and his, indifference.  
 _Say good morning,_ he thought.

All he had to do was say good morning. How hard could that be? It was two words, and he didn't have to pretend to be bright and chipper about it.

 _Say something,_ he thought again.

They continued to stare at each other, not breaking eye contact.

 _Say something,_ he urged again.

Now it was becoming awkward.

" Annoying," He muttered under his breath, inwardly wincing at how cruel his voice was. He had hoped that he had said it low enough for her not to hear, but his hopes were dashed when he saw Sakura's reaction.

" Fuck you." Her former anxious expression was replaced with that of one with fury.

Her jade orbs narrowed, and she trudged out the Uchiha compound angrily, slamming the heavy wooden door behind her shut.

Okay.

Perhaps he wasn't the best at conveying his emotions with an ego the size of Mount Kilimanjaro. Admitting to himself that he was at fault was much easier than admitting it out loud.

So despite his earlier revelation two weeks ago, Sasuke made little progress when it came to restoring his former friendship with Sakura. Everywhere he ran into her, she would swiftly walk the opposite direction, or deftly avoid his contact as if he possessed a contagious disease. Even on the rare occasions where rookie 9 had all managed to get some time away from their busy schedules to enjoy a night out, she had blatantly ignored him, as if he was invisible. He knew that he had no one to blame but himself, but his actions weighed heavily, even amongst their friends.

The girls automatically took Sakura's side and they all stared him down with contempt, disdain dancing in their eyes; with the exception of the Hyuuga heiress of course. The shy woman always conveyed apology in her eyes, and every time he saw that he felt slightly pathetic. The guys, well, Naruto surprisingly didn't speak much of it, but perhaps that was due to his schedule; he was just as busy if not more busy than Sasuke, especially with his goal of becoming Hokage finally within arms' reach. All the blonde really wanted to focus on was gobbling up ramen and guzzling down beer. The rest of rookie 9 didn't speak much about it, thankfully. Shikamaru didn't care, as with Shino and Chouji. Kiba was the only one who dared to mouth off a bit, though either Shino or Shikamaru always expertly intervened before Sasuke could get his hands dirty.

They didn't hang out much to begin with because of their schedules, but the distance between him and the pinkette had definitely contributed to the uneasy silence that welcomed him whenever he was surrounded by his former classmates.

He didn't care much; he hadn't been on their side for a long time so their silence was nothing new. But he knew Sakura had grown tiresome. She had to. Who could tolerate constantly being reminded of the person who had hurt her?

But again, saying it to himself was much easier than actually taking action.

* * *

" Quick as always, Sasuke."

It had been three weeks since Sasuke had called Sakura 'annoying'. He could have said anything else, literally anything else, but he chose to address her by the moniker he had attached to her from when they were children. Sasuke knew that she held a sore spot for that word, so he felt incredibly foolish for using it.

" Ahem. Do I have your attention?"

Sasuke glanced up at his former sensei, irritated that his thoughts seemed to have surfaced on his expression enough for Kakashi to call him out on it.

Currently, he was in the Hokage's office, waiting for details on the next mission and his teammates that would accompany him on it.

Even though the village looked peaceful, ANBU were constantly going out to complex and dangerous missions, thwarting any potential foes that would threaten the peace of Konohagakure. Of course, he was a main contender on a majority of these missions. Sasuke suspected it was equal parts talent and contempt that drove many of his fellow ninja to recommend him. They didn't all trust him, which was understandable, but they couldn't deny that he wasn't a formidable ninja with a completely clean track record when it came to missions.

There hadn't been a mission he had failed.

His former sensei didn't meet his gaze, despite calling for his attention moments earlier. Instead, opting to shuffle through papers on his desk, he fished out a paper, identical to the rest on his desk. "Aha!"

The door behind him opened again, and he recognized the familiar scent of his former teammate.  
He glanced at the redheaded Uzumaki, inwardly sighing as he realized that he was going on another mission with her.  
He didn't hate Karin, no, she had been a teammate to him just as Naruto and Sakura had been. But he had started to avoid her, deciding that further contact with her would only lead to sexual stimulation he would regret soon after. He hadn't seen her for weeks, and he thanked his busy schedule for contributing to the distance.

Naturally, when he wasn't busy risking his life on missions, he was at home, usually crafting elaborate plans in an attempt to get closer to Sakura. Which was pretty pathetic, if he stopped to think about it long enough. Itachi had encouraged his odd behavior, merrily supplying helpful bits of information regarding Sakura's daily schedule and who she would be meeting.

His brother had been accepted easily into the academy, and despite his fair and gentle behavior, all the children were afraid of him to some degree. Well, it didn't matter much.

They were Uchihas.

They should be feared.

" You called for me, Sixth Hokage?"

Speak of the devil.

The pink-haired medical nin closed the door behind her, moving towards the empty space on the right of Sasuke. She glanced at the two other ninja in the room and Sasuke could see the slight grimace she tried to conceal.

It wasn't an unknown fact that Sakura and Karin weren't too fond of each other. Sasuke knew it had largely to do with him, even though Sakura was unaware of his steamy encounters with the redhead.

Sasuke too, expressed his distaste with the selection.

He scoffed, knowing that it was highly unlikely that the sixth Hokage had selected the three for tea time.

Sasuke had been on many missions, and Karin accompanied him on roughly 20% of those missions. Sakura, on the other hand, barely went on missions, instead glued to her post at the hospital. It was an important task, and just any medical-nin wouldn't cut taking over it.

So why was she here?

" I'm sure you know why I've gathered you all here," The Sixth Hokage said in a cheery voice. " There's a mission I want you guys to go on."

Karin rolled her eyes. " I'm pretty sure we could all determine that, Sixth Hokage."

Kakashi grinned at the fiery redhead sheepishly. " It's an S-rank mission, even though it looks rather tame, it will require all of your best efforts. I requested Sakura's assistance in this mission because there is a large amount of sacred medical scrolls we have been asked to retrieve. In addition to a financial reward, we too, would also receive the information contained on the scrolls as compensation."

Sakura nodded confidently. " You can leave it to me, Sixth Hokage. I have left Ino in my place as head of the hospital, so there should be no issues there."

" It will be dangerous, so of course, that's why you're here Sasuke," Kakashi continued off-handedly. " And Karin..you are a good sensory ninja. It would be good in this mission."

The redheaded Uzumaki snorted unattractively. " Sure. I get it. I'm on the team just because a third person is required."

" It can also be considered seduction recon," Kakashi mentioned slyly , re-organizing the disarray of papers on his desk busily.

Karin scoffed. " Wait, so I'm supposed to play the slut again?! You know, it's not as fun as it looks, guys are just plain rude and aggressive for no reason!" Karin was fuming, fists clenched tightly in an aggressive stance. " Their lips are so mushy, and I have to pretend that I like them feeling up on me so enthusiastically, it's gross!"

" We could always assign you to another mission," Kakashi offered.

" Eh?" The disdain for the mission evaporated off of Karin's face. " No, I'm fine, It's just that these guys are usually bald and their balls are usually sweaty-"

" That's enough to give us some colorful imagery!" Kakashi quickly intercepted Karin before she could finish. His former pupils were nearly as red as tomatoes. " Now now, you're making your fellow teammates blush!"

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrow, annoyed that Kakashi had deflected the uncomfortable situation to them.

"And Karin," Kakashi sensei continued, " did you forget that we have another woman on the team?"

Sasuke glanced at his pink-haired teammate, the thought of her possibly seducing their enemy stirring an angry and possessive feeling inside of him. How dare the Sixth Hokage suggest that she was suitable for the act? Sakura was delicate and innocent.

She had no business donning the skimpy attire that Karin usually wore on recon missions. Sasuke could just imagine it, perverted men just _waiting_ to get their filthy hands around Sakura. He knew that the pinkette would be emotionally unattached and it would be better for their mission if she did end up doing it, but the thought of her gazing coyly, her glossy pink lips pursed and her eyes dripping with desire made Sasuke go mad.

He was certain that he had been the only one to see Sakura that way- even if he had brushed off her seduction attempts in the bedroom. Little did the pink-haired kunoichi know, it was an uphill battle for self-control whenever he saw her like that.

The aforementioned girl wore a look of displeasure, and Sasuke knew that if Kakashi dared to entertain the idea of Sakura fulfilling the role of a seductress any further, she would pummel the sixth Hokage till he was struggling on his last breath, which comforted him a bit.

He would much rather see his former sensei badly injured instead of Sakura dressed suggestively for the entire world to see.

Sakura glared at her former sensei, then shifted her gaze to her redhead teammate who wore a smirk.

He looked away, refusing to make eye contact with either of his former companions.

" And we have Sasuke too, if they're into that," Kakashi added cheerfully.

" When do we leave?" Sasuke asked swiftly, his words cold and sharp, as if the severity of his tone would assist in fighting off the red tinge growing on his cheeks.

He couldn't allow the conversation to go on any longer, it was evident that they had reached the conclusion of their meeting, staying any longer would simply be wasting time. Besides, he didn't want to dawdle on the thought of him playing Karin's part on the mission. He could practically the seed implant itself in Karin's and Sakura's brains. The fangirls would have a field day with this one.

Sasuke gritted his teeth.

Damn his former sensei, and his perverted books.

He was getting too imaginative for his own good.

" If you can, in two hours, perhaps? So at dusk," Kakashi informed them. " Is that alright with you Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. " I had already prepared for it ahead of time, Ino's taking care of the hospital."

" Wonderful!" Kakashi exclaimed mirthfully. He beckoned Sasuke to come forth and handed him a scroll. " That should have all the details of the mission. Things like who you're going to meet, rogue-nin that you might run into, and what they specifically want."

Sasuke opened the scroll, sketches of hard-looking criminals that screamed of bloodlust greeting him. He quickly analyzed the words written, and rolled the scroll back up and wound it tightly.

This was nothing beyond his average mission. He heard about these guys before, and he had no doubt in his mind that he could take them down easily, if not effortlessly.

He turned away from his mission teammates, wordlessly heading towards the exit. The mission wouldn't take long, he figured. With his talents and skill, they could easily cut through a five day mission in half the time.

" See you in three days!" Kakashi waved on, before frowning at the pile of papers on his desk.

" Pinky, we're meeting by the Uchiha training grounds," Sasuke heard Karin say behind him, her voice barely above a sneer.

Sasuke glanced at the two women following him, curious to see what would unfold.

These were the women he would be interacting with for the next several hours. He knew how they reacted around him, but he never saw them together. He already knew that it would be tricky with his past with Karin, but he was certain that the redhead wasn't going to mention anything.

Sakura tossed the redhead a look of disgust. " I'm aware of that, Karin."

" Just letting you know," Karin sing-songed. " Last time I saw you at the Uchiha training grounds, I saw you playing in the mud. Was Kunai practice particularly invigorating? I suppose you have to get your experience as a ninja somewhere,"

Sakura's eyes widened, then narrowed. She steeled her clear, green eyes and regarded Karin in contempt. " Yes it was, Karin, it flatters me that you pay such close attention. We've all got to get our training in some way… but I know nothing is as invigorating as fucking for every mission. That is still considered a physical workout, right?" She patted the redhead on the shoulder in mock sympathy. " Good luck. I hope you perform well here, too."

Sakura walked away calmly, her hips swaying as she left a sputtering Karin in the dust.

Sasuke snapped his focus back from the sway of Sakura's generous curves to the floor ahead of him.

He knew that he should have been mentally preparing for the upcoming mission, but all he could think was , _Karin 0, Sakura 1._

* * *

When Kakashi sensei had mentioned to her the details of the mission, Sakura could hardly pass up the chance to go on it. Ancient medical texts that had been _recently unearthed_ , it was not just a win for her, it was a win to the entire village.

She knew that she had to be the one to go.

She was the strongest medical nin in all of the nations, not participating would be just as bad as ignoring a wounded warrior based on prejudice, and Sakura could never do such a thing.

With Sasuke in tow, she knew that the mission would be a piece of cake.

Karin however…. To put it simply, the redheaded Uzumaki made her blood boil.

She literally had done nothing to the woman, but Karin made it her mission to fulfill this personal vendetta of hers. Every time the two were in the same area, Karin would go out of her way to make snide comments or purposefully exclude her. Sakura didn't really care, as she was usually too busy anyways to play petty give and take with the redhead, but there was just something about the woman that was _so. Goddamn. Infuriating._

It was as if she had nothing better to do! She imagined Karin wasting away her free time in her apartment plotting ways to harass Sakura.

When she was living with Sasuke, Karin would consistently torment her with her presence, showing up unannounced to the compound and demanding the Uchiha heir to train with her. She would cling to his arm like a leech, and what made her even more infuriating was the fact that Sasuke didn't seem to put up much of a fight against her.

He told her to stop, sure. He told her to get off, of course, but when she refused and continued to glomp him like some stray puppy with abandonment issues, he merely sighed and accepted the redhead's behavior, claiming he was too tired to fend her off.

She didn't know that Sasuke and Karin were that comfortable with one another, and more than once, she had felt uneasy by the redhead's presence. She never did anything that raised suspicion though. She would always leave accordingly after a while, giving up almost as soon as she had come sometimes.

That didn't make the pinkette any less wary of her though.

She couldn't place her finger on it though, and she never had any proof of foul play, so she let it be.

Why was she musing over this anyway though?

Sasuke was a part of her past.

Suspicions were apart of her past.

Now, she was a free woman. Free from stress and free from uncertainty, but free from desire too.

Not that Sasuke had ever succumbed to her feminine wiles.

Sakura blushed, recalling how she had attempted to seduce him more than a couple times. She had worn candy pink corsets, thigh high stockings, a nearly completely transparent nightgown; she had tried everything in the book, but nothing had fazed him. In fact, he always shook his head as if he disapproved.

" Where are you heading to?"

Sakura looked up, a slow grin spreading across her face as she recognized the elder Uchiha.

" Itachi-san, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Academy?"

" The day ended early. " The elder Uchiha smirked. " This is also Uchiha property. "

Sakura surveyed her surroundings. Instead of the clearing where the three had agreed to meet, Sakura had wandered several kilometers to her left, right in front of the Uchiha Compound.

Was she that dazed in thought that her feet had swayed her in the direction of her memories? How embarrassing.

" I lost my way," She mumbled lowly, not wanting to admit that she had been daydreaming.

" I see," He accepted her excuse easily. " Are you heading out to a mission?"

Sakura nodded, fiddling with the straps of her bag, not wanting to meet the elder Uchiha's gaze. " I'm actually meeting Sasuke and Karin soon."

" Ah," Itachi nodded. " Would you mind if I walked you?"

Sakura laughed uncharacteristically, the pitch of her voice reaching a remarkably high tone. " Oh, that won't be necessary. Karin already thinks that I require training wheels, wouldn't want to add anything to the list of things she could make fun of me with,"

" I insist," Itachi persisted. " And besides," He extended his fingertips, barely touching the diamond on her forehead. " This mark proves that you are much more than a child. You are a formidable woman."

Sakura's fingers hovered over the mark, scoffing slightly. " Of course I am! I was taught by one of the three legendary sannin too!"

" Well, well, if it isn't Pinky. I thought we agreed to meet at the training grounds, _not_ the Uchiha Compound. Looks like you _really_ can't understand things,"

Sakura's mood instantly plummeted upon hearing her new teammate's voice. God, how was she supposed to last several hours with this maddening woman when she could barely even handle one?

The redhead approached her, crimson eyes darting as she inspected the scene before her.

Sakura wasn't wearing anything particularly flashy, just her usual pink qipao and tight black shorts combination. Her short pink hair fanned out over her shoulders, but she had switched out her favorite dark boots for the open toed sandal alternative. The only remarkable about her, seemingly, was Itachi, as the redhead couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from him.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

What a maneater.

" Onii-san? What are you doing here?"

Sakura whipped her head around, facing her former lover as he exited his home.

" Looks like everyone's here," Karin chirped, instantly directing her attention to the younger Uchiha.

Sasuke sneered at the redhead and evaded her attempt in attaching herself on his arm. " We're going to be late,"

" Ah," Itachi murmured. " Be safe Sasuke,"

Sasuke allowed a miniscule smile to slip past his lips. " See you soon."

" You too, Sakura-san," The elder Uchiha smiled warmly at her. " I hope things are successful for you."

Sakura smiled at him, appreciating the words. " I'll do my best."

* * *

A/N: Hello Everyone! It's been a while since I updated, ( roughly six months) and I totally forgot I had a couple of chapters already done but in need of editing. I'm currently working on two other fics as well, one for Fairy Tail, and one for Bleach, so please check them out when I decide to post them! (which probably won't be anytime soon)

Please review and I will try my best to update this story as much as I can this year!

Tarra


	11. Chapter 11

**I need a (Wo)man**

Summary: Being a Cancer and so utterly sentimental, one would have thought that they would have had Sasuke Uchiha all figured out. He was an emotional crybaby with a brother complex and an arguably irritating need to be the best of the best. So why was it so damn hard for him to love a woman? Maybe his brother knew and had an idea on how…

 **Chapter Eleven**

* * *

Initially, Karin had been furious when Suigetsu had sauntered into her apartment unannounced, dropping by to notify her of the Sixth Hokage's sudden request to see her at once. She had been off mission duty for several weeks now, and that meant she had nothing to do. Sasuke had been avoiding her too, she was sure of it. Every time she thought she saw a flash of black hair, it always seemed to be a different person.

Even her friends had made themselves scarce.

Jugo had become acquainted with Konohagakure's scientific and research department, offering up any information he could about his curse mark. It was a day to night process, she had learned, and despite the grueling hours, Jugo seemed pleased with his involvement in the project. He enjoyed the department, he had informed her. They were kind and fair people, and he was fed and compensated for his time. He practically lived there.  
Needless to say, the water balloon idiot wasn't her friend, but even her favorite punching bag was nowhere to be seen. On the rare occasion that she had crossed paths with him, he had hurriedly told her that he was traveling back and forth between Konohagakure and Otogakure. He was now Orochimaru's right hand man after Kabuto's wayward demise apparently. Obviously, this had irritated Karin greatly. Why was _he_ of all people allowed to travel across the nations so freely? He was the most unpredictable one of them all!  
If the Hokage _had_ asked for her, however, it was only to inquire about her memories of Kusagakure, her hometown. She barely had any information, but it seemed that the two villages were negotiating treaties and embarking on construction projects together. These meetings were dull, and left the redhead more sullen than when she had come in.  
However, upon entering the Hokage's office earlier, she had been elated to learn that she was finally going on a mission. Her mood boosted considerably when she noticed Sasuke already standing before the Hokage's desk. It was the first time she had seen him in weeks, and luckily for her, she was going to go on another mission with him!  
Yet, it seemed that the stars were not in her favor the moment the pink-haired medic she _absolutely loathed_ walked in.

It was the most ridiculous ensemble, she had to say so herself.

How odd was it that their three man team consisted of herself, her sexual partner, and her sexual's partner former lover. If you could call their relationship that.

Karin snickered at the thought.

She had been on a high tide of smugness ever since her secret rendezvous with Sasuke began, and the frequency of their meetings only bolstered her confidence. She was daring and fearless, and took no hesitation when it came to showing Pinky who was boss. Maybe Pinky was the one that lived with him, but she was the one he was visiting every night; and that, was by far, more of a win to Karin than a prim and proper "relationship" ever could be.  
However, her confidence soon dwindled despite the aforementioned couple's separation. Their break up should have had the opposite effect on Sasuke; but instead of approaching her in his time of grief, he avoided her as if she had contracted the plague.

Karin didn't know what had come over him, It was as if his guilty conscience finally caught up and stabbed his cold, dead heart with the truth and pain of emotional loneliness. If it did, he should have sought out Karin for comfort.  
She would have been more than willing!  
Yet instead of doing that, he seemed to be busier than ever, and when he wasn't, Sasuke surrounded himself with his brother and Pinky, much to Karin's disdain.  
He didn't even like the girl.  
Why was he attaching himself to her so needlessly?  
" We'll take rest here," Sasuke announced, halting to a stop and breaking the redheaded Uzumaki from her thoughts.  
Karin surveyed the area surrounding the trio, and sighed happily once she spotted a clear river with plenty of large stone and tall trees surrounding it.  
She wanted to clean up a little; they had been traveling on foot ever since they had departed from Konohagakure three hours before.  
The sun had set barely thirty minutes ago, and Karin estimated that it was around nine. It would take them approximately five more hours on foot to reach the rendezvous point where they would meet Chiu, a middle-aged civilian who had no remarkable talent when it came to ninjutsu.

" Why are we meeting that Choo guy again?" She asked obnoxiously as she gathered wood for the fire they would set up inside the cave they would be sleeping in. " He's not even a ninja."

After dinner, the three had selected a cave that was concave enough to hold three people in it for shelter, but not deep enough where an end wasn't seen.

" It's Chiu," Sakura corrected her, attitude sprinkled all over her tone. " Whether he's a ninja or not doesn't matter. He has information regarding the person who wants us to steal the scrolls back from unwanted hands."

" Then the person requesting us should just have approached the village themselves, instead of speaking through some nobody," Karin sniped, tossing a bunch of wood carelessly near Sakura's foot.

Sakura shot the redhead an annoyed look, and proceeded to throw the entirety of what she had gathered toward the middle of the cave.

Sasuke moved his hands rapidly, forming a fire that escaped his mouth and relocated on the pile of wood before him.

" Let's rest. We've already eaten and traveled thus far. We'll leave shortly in the morning." Sasuke headed to his corner of the cave and unrolled his sleeping mattress.

The girls followed suit.

Karin lay on her sleeping bag angrily.

Sasuke hadn't so much as looked at her ever since they had left the gates of Konohagakure. He had disappeared within the thick foliage of the forest as soon as they had left, leaving the two women to follow him by the thin aura of chakra that anyone below a jonin level wouldn't be able to decipher. Moreover, the route he chose to follow had been unnecessarily difficult, natural obstacles hindering their way. The rosette to her left didn't seem too upset by Sasuke's actions though, speeding past both of them with the determination and swiftness of a woman on a mission.  
And she was. Literally.

But this mission was hardly worth all the fuss the Sixth Hokage had told them it was.  
They exchanged no words then and now, and the absolute silence within the cave walls was starting to irritate the redhead more than it should have. Sasuke would have usually signaled to her by now that he wanted to indulge in her company, but no matter how hard she grilled at the raven-haired man, all she could discern was a stony, unwelcome expression. At least with their former team, punching Suigetsu to a bloody pulp accomplished in cooling her down. Even on missions where she wasn't with her former group, she had been able to make conversation with the ninja she had been paired up with.  
However in this case, Karin felt dead-locked.

Annoyed, Karin sat up, glancing at the woman who lay across from her, soundlessly sleeping.  
Tch.

Seriously, how could she call herself a ninja, much less a capable kunoichi if she fell asleep that easily? Good ninjas would have their guards up, not attach themselves as a burden to the rest of their team.  
Karin glanced at the farthest corner of the cave, where her sexual partner lay. She watched him for a few minutes. He was still. Not moving.  
Karin smirked.  
So he was awake.

Carefully removing herself from her sleeping bag, she walked across the cave, the dimmed down embers of their fire illuminating the sly look on her face.  
He had been avoiding her all for this insufferable woman. But Karin knew exactly what to do to demand Sasuke's attention back on her. He was a man after all. It would be easy.

Carelessly, Karin tore off the covers off of Sasuke.  
His eyes opened, smoldering obsidian eyes agitated and warning her not to pursue further. Normally, she would have halted her actions, too afraid of Sasuke's repercussions.  
 _Screw that,_ She thought to herself. _If he wants to punish me, he can punish me in sex._

Obviously, Karin had no guarantee that Sasuke would allow another night of lovemaking with her ever again, and she knew that even if he was willing, Pinky on the side would be gripping his nerves morally.  
 _But If I could just make him want me.._ Karin thought.  
Then he wouldn't have a choice but to take her.  
Wouldn't he?

Karin dropped down to her knees, her hands shaking as they locked around Sasuke's head. Her body draped over his, and even though she had rose from her sleeping arrangements with purpose, she couldn't help but shake with anxiety as she leaned towards him.

" Karin."

He would have to return her feelings of sexual desire now.

Wouldn't he?

" _Karin."_ He spoke with more vigor in his tone now, but it wasn't the way she was used to.

His tone was low, but it much more resembled the growl of a feral animal than an interested lover.

" No." Karin didn't know where she found her voice, or how she was able to make it sound so strong. "You've been avoiding me for a while, and I've had it."

" Karin. Get off me now." He spoke with an unfamiliar urgency in his voice, and Karin inwardly snarled at the reason why he would suddenly sound so worried.

She tossed a careless glance at the pinkette sleeping on the other side of the cave. Her eyes were still closed. She was ignorant of their actions.

Turning back to face Sasuke, she laughed, no longer caring if she was loud enough to wake their pink-haired teammate.

So what if she was selfish?

 _She had every right to be._

" Sasuke," She began, her voice throaty and barely above a growl. " Don't act like touching me is something new to you. You've done it before. Plenty of times."

" _Karin._ " Sasuke saw red. " Get the fuck off of me."

" Why?" She pursed her lips in mock worry. " Are you afraid that someone might finally see _us?_ How long have we been hiding, scurrying like teenagers?"

" Karin get off of me now!" Sasuke exclaimed, forcing her away from his body.

Karin maneuvered around his hands, accidentally brushing her center across Sasuke's groin, which was semi-hard, to her delight.

" So you do like the way I'm on you right now," She purred, using her womanhood as an advantage as she pressed him back down.

" Get the fuck off of me," Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "The last thing that we need to do is have sex. We're on a mission, and we're not together."

" But we always do this," She replied, annoyed by his response. " Don't act like you don't want it. Are you just talking that way because Pinky's here too?"

Like a kaleidoscope, Karin watched the emotions shift in Sasuke's eyes. She saw fury, worry, and uncertainty. Karin inwardly snickered. Even now, with all of his claims of protest, the deadliest shinobi in Konohagakure was pathetic beneath her. She knew that she had won. Just a little more...and he would succumb to her.

" Oh. Please don't allow me to distract me from your sexual encounter."

Even though Karin had anticipated Sakura waking up, the shock of hearing the pinkette's cool voice still felt incredibly stunning. She wasn't supposed to wake up. That wasn't how Karin's fantasy went. She was to approach Sasuke sexy and undeniable as ever, and he was to fall for her feminine wiles while Sakura remained none the wiser. By morning, Karin would have him under her spell again and she would finally be able to feel right again. But Pinky had burst that bubble for her. She had to wake up. She had to say something. But how could she not? They were making so much noise.

It felt like slow motion.

Karin saw Sasuke's eyes widening, absolute hysteria crossing his features. His coal eyes glinted against the low fire, betraying the most emotion Karin had ever seen him in the entirety of their friendship. His mouth opened, as if to beg her for forgiveness, but the words seemed caught in his throat. Sakura stared at them, their questionable positioning leaving her with a dead yet unsurprised expression. The pinkette stood up, slipped on her shoes, and left the cave soundlessly.

Before she knew it, Karin was shoved off harshly.

Wincing at the jagged surface she had fell atop of, her breath caught, struggling between her throat as Sasuke wrapped his cold fingers around her neck.

Karin struggled against his iron grip, her fingers attempting to pry his cool fingers off of her windpipe.

" S-Sasu-ke," She breathed out, complete anguish spreading across her face.

" You're a fucking cunt." His words stung, but she supposed she deserved it.

She knew that angering Sasuke was another way at tempting fate, and she had thrown caution to the wind.

His grip tightened around her neck, and Karin saw dark spots grow across her vision.

He wouldn't kill her, would he?

He hadn't hesitated to do so before, but what about now?

" S-Sasuke, P-please!" Came out the muffled cry.

Karin felt life flashing precariously before her. She knew that if he continued to press into her, she wouldn't have much time left.

" Stop."

For a moment, the grip around her throat loosened, and Karin fought hard to glance up.

It couldn't be..

Standing in front of the full moon, the luminosity bathed the frail woman Karin had grown to despise. The ethereal blue-white light danced across the pinkette's jade green orbs, However,unlike Sasuke's earlier revelation, her eyes betrayed none of her actual emotions. Her hands were clenched, and despite her extreme disdain for the woman before her, Karin couldn't help but feel envious.

She looked like an angel.

" Release her Sasuke," Sakura spoke more sternly. " She will die."

As if Sasuke was a robot that only acted on Sakura's command, he released her, causing Karin to cough up blood as soon as she took in fresh gulps of air. Karin heaved loudly, feeling as if her lungs were collapsing and deteriorating at break neck speed, despite Sasuke's release.

Not bothering to even spare a glance at the redhead, Sasuke walked past the two women, his chakra unnoticeable as soon as he left the cave.

Sakura approached the weak Uzumaki, her hands offering comfort and healing.

" Get away from me!" Karin shrieked, her voice dripping with equal parts fear, contempt, and pride. " _Get away! Get away! Get away!"_

Karin began to breathe harder, the emotional pain of Sasuke's refusal mixing in with the physical pain of being the object of his hate.

Why?

Why was it no matter how much she tried, he always refused her?

Why was it that no matter how capable she was, no matter how many times she had willingly given herself up to him, he had still done this to her?

Karin screamed, feeling hot,wet tears descending down her eyes.

Why?

Why?

Why?

He had been her solace. He had saved her and had breathed life into her, and now all he wanted to do was take it away. What terrible thing had she done to be on the receiving end of his anger? She was just a woman. A woman who thought that maybe, just maybe, he would care about her. Maybe, just maybe, he would look at her with the same gaze he held for Sakura. Maybe one day, she thought, she would be dear to him.

Screaming out , Karin felt her heart beating thunderously against her chest. Her throat, despite the pain, seemed to fight against the sob threatening to emerge. Karin shrunk into herself, no longer caring about how much her throat hurt or how pathetic she must have looked before Sakura. Who was she going to hide from anyways? Sasuke had hurt her and Sakura had witnessed it all.

The blood didn't matter. The pain didn't matter.  
Nothing mattered to her at that moment.

She had nothing.

Her pride.

Her love.

They were gone.

* * *

" You didn't have to do that,"

Sakura didn't know how she had managed to locate her sullen raven-haired teammate, but she presumed he no longer cared if anyone found him. Whether it be her or some foolish adversary, the anger and impatience radiating off of Sasuke's body was not one to be messed with. That much was clear.

Yet she didn't care.

Certainly, she was fearful of him. She would have to be blind to not have been.  
She hadn't been able to sleep since they had laid camp. She had tossed and turned, unable to ignore the unsettling feeling growing deep within her. She didn't understand why her body had been reacting that way, but now the nausea was gone.

She had been awake through the entire confrontation.

She had heard Karin's muffled huffs of annoyance. She had heard the redhead rise from her position on the cave floor. She refused to move as she heard her almost soundless steps approach the Uchiha heir. She witnessed their struggle, the hurt and honest emotions dancing across both of their faces as Karin accused Sasuke and begged him for his touch over and over and over again.

Every time the redheaded woman hinted at their sexual experience, Sakura took it as a stab to the heart. She had been right. All this time.

Sasuke was a liar.

She didn't realize where she had found the courage to speak up, but she had. She had initially given herself a pat on the back at the control her voice seemed to possess, but she quickly realized if she didn't remove herself from the situation, she would cry.

And that was the last thing she wanted to do.

She had made it roughly a mile away from their hideout, tears streaming down her pale face silently. They were all highly capable ninja. If she dared cried out, Sasuke would hear. Karin would hear.

And she would be little.

Once again.

But Sakura refused to succumb.

Shaking her head and heading back to the cave before her teammates were aware of her sorrow, her eyes widened at the sight before her. Karin, pressed against the uncomfortably sharp rocks of the cave and barely holding on to life, struggled to breathe, in Sasuke's cold and hard grasp.

Sasuke stared at her, as if asking her what she would do.

Despite how much she despised the woman before her, Sakura couldn't allow another life to be sacrificed in the name of anger. How many wars had they already fought?

Sakura didn't know if Sasuke would listen to her, but she had to try. Karin couldn't die.

" Release her," She didn't hear herself the first time, but Sasuke seemed uncertain with his actions with her first command.

This time, he listened.

Falling to the floor with a dull thud, the redhead began coughing immensely, the intensity of her pain almost palpable.

She didn't want to help the woman, and it didn't seem that the woman wanted her help either- but she simply couldn't ignore the wounds that wrapped around her throat like a crude decoration.

Karin had refused her, falling deeper into excruciating pain before eventually falling into a heart-wrenching slumber. Sakura had tended to her then, feeling her own heart collapse as she analyzed the ring of faded marks around Karin's neck.

Karin had been doing what she had, all those years ago.

" _Please, don't leave us!"_

The memory still played often in her head, 12 year old Sasuke's adamant refusal to stay with the rest of the village and hurting her more than she had hoped. All she wanted was for him to stay. She would do good, she would have done anything for him.

Perhaps, in Karin's own twisted way, she thought the same.

That if she offered her body up selflessly Sasuke would cast a glance at her. That if she never refused him that he might become as attached to her as she was to him. That maybe, just maybe, he would be able to forget about the pain he had caused to the pinkette and rise anew with her.

Sakura could only laugh, though her chuckle held no mirth.

Sasuke truly was a cruel man.

He had not only strung her along, he had managed to warp Karin under his sinister spell as well. Sakura felt sorry for the woman, and even though she knew that Karin wouldn't initially appreciate it, Sakura began to heal her.  
Luckily, the damage Sasuke inflicted had been minimal, and she had been able to heal the redhead within half an hour. Sakura had repositioned the redhead back on her sleeping bag before heading outside to search for Sasuke.

She didn't know what she was going to say to him when she found him, but she knew that she was going to be against him.

Whether any of them liked it or not, they were all comrades with a mission to carry out. Allowing their emotions to interfere would only hinder them.

She had found the Uchiha heir sitting at the very edge of a high cliff that was only a stone's throw from their hideout, legs dangling, mood just as torrid as the water swishing below him. His dark features were illuminated by the pale moonlight before him, the white and blue lights highlighting the dark undertones of his hair. He looked mythical, rare. Something that was not meant to be seen, and despite him doing wrong, Sakura felt as if she had overstepped by approaching him in his solitude.

His aura was dark and complex, and clashed greatly with the serenity surrounding him.

 _He truly is a monster,_ Sakura thought to herself.

But she didn't allow that to stop her.

Monster or not, he was Sasuke.

And she was Sakura.

"..I'm sorry," The response was slow, unexpected.

Sasuke didn't bother looking at her, but Sakura felt the weight of his words.

" Why are you apologizing to me?" Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. " You should be apologizing to Karin."

" Tch." Sasuke muttered, evidently annoyed with Sakura's response.

" Well you should!" She exclaimed. " Sasuke, you nearly killed the woman!"

" She made sexual advances on me that I clearly did not consent to," Sasuke spoke to her as if he were stating the obvious. " I told her countless times to get off of me, and you know it,"

" You know you could have overpowered her any second," Sakura muttered softly. " You didn't have to wait until she became borderline hysterical."

To this, Sasuke said nothing.

" I'm sorry," He repeated again, getting up.

" For what Sasuke?" She asked again, watching him turn towards her slowly.

" ...Everything."

Sasuke brushed past her, his unique, musky scent wisping past and settling around her like a warm embrace.

His skin brushed gently against hers, and Sakura wondered belatedly if he had done that on purpose. His touch felt cold, yet warm with familiarity.

 _Odd_ , she noted to herself.

Sasuke never touched her.

" Sasuke where are you-" The Pinkette turned, hoping to gain some elaboration on his future actions, but all she could register was that he was gone again.

The Pinkette sighed, the desire to return back to their cave absent. Karin was asleep and heartbroken. Sasuke went to god knows where, probably irritated that Sakura hadn't adhered to the foreboding vibes he had been giving off.

Instead, Sakura sat down on the spot Sasuke had been occupying moments before, opting to stare at the moon and treacherous water down below.

Dawn would soon come, and they still had a mission to accomplish.

Sakura let out an irritated breath, feeling almost selfish for taking away Sasuke's location of choice to let out her own frustrations.

She had done the right thing by tending to Karin first, and she had received a questionable apology from Sasuke soon after. It hurt, it didn't make sense, and Sakura was too exhausted to even think straight.

" I wonder how bad it would be if I took a swim down below," She murmured aloud.

Sakura knew that the water would be frigid and the distance between the water and their cave was at least a mile in height, but Sakura wasn't afraid.

Sometimes, you just needed these moments for yourself, she decided.

Removing her shoes, she stripped off her clothing, haphazardly tossing the thin material behind her. She knew that it would be dawn soon and that her pale skin would stand out as a shock of colorlessness amongst the bright forest, but Sakura didn't care. Whether it was travelers passing by or her own teammates, Sakura was not ashamed.

She needed this.

Arguably more than anyone else.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura stood before the edge, tantalized by the waves that beckoned her to meet them. Spreading her arms wide apart, the pinkette dove, her body falling headfirst into what she hoped would become her bliss.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! This was definitely my most quickest update, and I was happy to be able to explore some things I hadn't been able to in the earlier chapters. This is the beginning of things shifting for our main characters here, and hopefully for all who read this, you guys can enjoy the development as much as I do!

Please leave a review, it means a lot :)

Tarra


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